“Lebanon Debate”
In a scene that sparked a wave of anger and denunciation in the city of Tripoli, a restaurant turned into the scene of a serious incident that almost developed into something more, after a minor girl was exposed to an attempt to lure inside the place by one of the “clown” people who moved between restaurants to entertain the children, before the incident was revealed in the last moments due to the family’s vigilance and quick intervention, which led to the arrest of the suspect and the opening of an official investigation into the incident.
According to the information, the incident began when the suspect took the child to a relatively far area inside the restaurant, taking advantage of the crowding and entertainment atmosphere, before her grandmother noticed what was happening and rushed to alert the child’s father, who immediately followed him into the back corridors of the place.
Surveillance cameras show the moments of the child’s presence with the suspect inside the corridors of the restaurant, where the latter stated in his initial statements that he took her “to show her his face.”
The story of the girl’s father
Speaking to Lebanon Debate, the girl’s father recounted the details of what happened, saying: “I am a regular customer in this place, and I was there with my mother and daughter, who were playing near us with the cartoon characters that some young men wear to create an entertaining atmosphere for the children, while my mother was watching her.”
He added: “Suddenly, one of the people who was wearing a disguise turned around and carried my daughter in a way that no one noticed because of the crowding, then he took her into the corridor leading to the back of the restaurant, all the way to the generator room. At that moment, my mother screamed and said to me, ‘Take the girl inside… follow him.’”
He continues: “I immediately ran inside and started screaming my daughter’s name, and when I reached him he had taken her down from his embrace. My daughter is only four and a half years old, and when I immediately asked him, ‘What are you doing? And why did you take the child inside?’ Then my daughter said to me, ‘Daddy, he’s telling me to give me a kiss.’ Then I lost my temper and assaulted him before the security forces arrived and arrested him.”
Denying the detainee’s relationship with the restaurant
The father denies what is being circulated on social media about the detainee working in the restaurant, stressing that this is not true. I know all the restaurant employees, and this person is not one of them, and the restaurant should not be held responsible for what happened.”
He points out that some people who wander between restaurants and public events wear costumes or carry drums, and interact with children in exchange for sums of money given to them by customers, which sometimes makes their entry unnoticeable in light of the crowding.
He continues: “It later became clear that two people were inside the place, and they took internal roads towards the back of the restaurant, before one of them was arrested while the other fled, which raised question marks about how they entered and moved inside the place.”
Lawsuit and legal follow-up
The girl’s father confirms that he has filed a lawsuit and will not withdraw it, saying: “I filed a lawsuit and will not drop it no matter what happens. There is talk of mediation and attempts to communicate from parties close to the detainee, but for me the case will not be closed, and the legal process must take its course.”
He concludes by saying: “We used to see what happened in soap operas, but it happened in Tripoli. It could have had more serious consequences. We were as attentive as possible, but sometimes things happen suddenly. I hope what happened is a message to everyone to increase caution, and not to leave children unattended, especially in crowded places.”
