Lebanon: He went to rob the bank to get his own deposits

A man in the south Lebanon stormed the Byblos Bank in the southern Lebanese city of Gazieh today, wielding a gun, believed to be fake, in an attempt to get his savings frozen in the country’s banking system.

This is the third incident this week where depositors have been forced out of their money using toy guns that initially appeared to be real.

The man managed to get some of his money from the Byblos Bank in the southern Lebanese city of Gazieh before being arrested, according to the img, who added that the gun in his possession was believed to be a simple toy.

Decisions on lawsuits against banks are delayed

Lebanon’s banks have cut off most depositors’ access to their savings since a financial crisis hit three years ago, leaving much of the population unable to pay for their basic needs.

Controls on the movement of funds have never been formalized by law, but courts have been slow to rule on depositors’ efforts to access their savings by suing bankswhich leads some to look for alternative ways to get their money.

In the incident that you will see in the video, a woman with a toy gun breaks into a bank to get money from her account as her sister is suffering from cancer.

Lebanon’s banks association yesterday called on authorities to hold accountable those involved in “verbal and physical attacks” on banks and said financial institutions themselves should not show leniency.