Woman holds up Lebanese bank for $13 000 of her own money, advocacy group says

A temporary hostage problem at Lebanon’s BLOM Financial institution BLOM.BY ended on Wednesday when an seemingly armed woman and her associates remaining the financial institution carrying extra than $13 000 in income from her personal account, a source from a depositors’ advocacy group reported.

Lebanon’s banking institutions have locked most depositors out of their discounts considering the fact that a money crisis took keep a few a long time ago, leaving a lot of the population not able to shell out for primary desires.

It was the 2nd these incident in Lebanon in all-around a thirty day period, soon after a guy in mid-August held up a further industrial bank to withdraw his very own funds to address his unwell father.

All-around 11:00 am on Wednesday, a lady carrying what appeared to be a gun entered BLOM Bank in Beirut’s Sodeco neighbourhood and demanded entry to her cash, a stability source advised Reuters.

Around an hour afterwards, she remaining with $13 000 in money bucks, said a supply from the Depositors’ Outcry group, which advocates for Lebanese citizens with financial savings caught at banks. She also took close to 6 million in Lebanese pounds, really worth only $160 immediately after the a lot more than 90% collapse in the exchange amount given that 2019.

The resource at the team advised Reuters that the group took responsibility for the incident.

The woman was recognized as Sally Hafez by her mom, who explained to a nearby Lebanese tv station that Hafez took revenue from her personal account to treat her more youthful sister who has most cancers.

“If we hadn’t finished this, my daughter could have died,” her mother explained to Al-Jadeed.

“All we have is this income in the financial institution. My daughter was compelled to choose this cash – it is her appropriate, it is in her account – to treat her sister,” she stated.

Reuters was not able to promptly make contact with Hafez.

A statement at BLOM Lender confirmed the hostage problem had ended but did not give particulars on the total taken. The stability expert services did not immediately react to a request for comment about the lawful immplications of the incident.

Right after the past hostage incident in August, the accused perpetrator was arrested but then afterwards produced without having demand just after the lender dropped its lawsuit.