October 24, 2026
A verbal altercation over moving a car a short distance in the town of Majdalba’na turned into a bloody crime in which two members of one family were killed and others were injured, as a result of gunfire using a military machine gun, in an incident after which charges were officially brought against the perpetrator after he was brought to justice.
Details of the incident and the human toll
The crime occurred on the evening of October 17, 2026, when Ghazi Hani Abdel Khaleq (born 1963) opened fire with a military weapon following a heated dispute over parking. The attack resulted in the death of Bahaa El-Din Abdel-Khaleq (born in 1992) as a result of his wounds, and the wounding of his father, Hatem Mohamed Abdel-Khaleq (born in 1964), and his uncle Ibrahim Abdel-Khaleq (born in 1967), in addition to their relative Mamoun Abdel-Khaleq (born in 1977). Although Hatem and Ibrahim were taken to the hospital to receive treatment, Hatem died of his injuries days later, bringing the death toll to two dead, while Mamoun left the hospital after receiving first aid.
The beginning of the conflict
The problem began when Mamoun was visiting his sister, who lived on the top floor of Ghazi’s house, and the latter invited him for coffee. During the visit, Malak Abdel Khaleq (Bahaa El-Din’s sister) came to drive her car and faced difficulty in getting out due to the queuing of cars. Ghazi refused to let Mamoun move his car, demanding that the driver’s brother do so. After a dispute later took place between Ghazi and Bahaa El-Din over parking the Rapid car in front of the house, the dispute intensified and developed quickly.
Take out the weapon and fire
According to witness statements, including Maamoun and his minor son (13 years old), Ghazi entered his house and took out a Kalashnikov machine gun wrapped in a cloth from inside one of the sofas, and loaded it before heading outside. Despite Mamoun’s attempts to calm the situation and stand between the two sides, Ghazi fired at the legs, wounding Mamoun. He then targeted Bahaa El-Din, who was hit by about ten bullets, in addition to wounding the father, Hatem, while witnesses confirmed that none of the victims was carrying any weapon.
The accused’s story
For his part, Ghazi admitted to shooting, but gave a different story, claiming that Bahaa El-Din threatened to bend down under the car seat as if he was about to bring a weapon, which prompted him to feel afraid and bring the weapon from his home. He claimed that he fired only to intimidate those present, and that he did not intend to cause deaths. He explained Bahaa El-Din’s severe injury that the weapon may have been set to automatic firing mode without his knowledge, indicating that he had not cleaned his weapons since 2022.
Escape and delivery
Following the incident, Ghazi left the scene carrying a “VAL” rifle towards the Al-Mushrifa area, where he met the driver, Salah bin Najeeb Al-Hakim, who saw him on foot. After Ghazi told him that there was a problem with his relatives, the two of them, in coordination with the mayor of Al-Mushrifa, went to the latter, who succeeded in convincing him to surrender himself, until an army intelligence patrol arrived and stopped him.
Seizures and the judicial process
The security services seized a Kalashnikov machine gun and a Val rifle, in addition to a quantity of usable bullets and a hand grenade in the accused’s house, while the house was sealed with red wax and the necessary judicial records were organized. The investigation was undertaken by the Public Prosecutor of Appeal in Mount Lebanon, Judge Michel Rani Moawad, and after completing the hearing of witnesses and following up on the medical reports following Hatem’s death, the file was referred to the Public Prosecutor of Appeal in Mount Lebanon, Judge Sami Sader.
Judge Sader charged Ghazi Abdel Khaleq based on Article 547 of the Penal Code and Article 72 of the Weapons and Ammunition Law, and referred him in detention to the first investigating judge in Mount Lebanon, Judge Nada Al-Asmar, to complete the investigations and take appropriate judicial measures.
