A British journalist has been hospitalized in Beirut after an attacker “torn her clothes off and tried to strangle her while attempting to rape her” while she was jogging.
- An unnamed victim was reportedly attacked on the waterfront of the Lebanese capital
- Lebanese security forces arrested a Syrian man on suspicion of attempted rape
A British journalist has been subjected to an attempted rape while jogging in Beirut, according to local security forces.
The unnamed reporter was running near the waterfront of the Lebanese capital when she was allegedly ambushed by her attacker in front of a children’s entertainment center in Peel district last Wednesday.
The man was arrested and officials later said he was Syrian and confessed to carrying out 30 similar attacks during interrogation.
Lebanon’s Internal Security Forces published a photo of the alleged attacker, which they did not name, adding that they had arrested the suspect for “attempted rape”.
A statement issued on Twitter on Sunday, April 2, read: “The Information Division arrested a suspect with record speed of assault and attempted rape of a British journalist in the Beirut waterfront area near Kids Mondo, which took place on 3/29. / 2023.
“The investigation is underway under the supervision of the competent judiciary.”
Image showing the Syrian man who allegedly raped a British journalist in Beirut, Lebanon
Illustrative photo of Beirut waterfront in Lebanon, where a Syrian man attempted to rape a British journalist, n.d. He tried to rape her while she was running
The identity of the British journalist and her current condition were not clear, but local reports indicated that she was taken to hospital.
An update issued by the Lebanese security forces stated that the attacker “harassed (the journalist) and tried to rape her, as he tore off her clothes, beat her, tried to strangle her, and fled on a bicycle.”
They claimed that the perpetrator, upon his arrest, told the officers that “for eight months he had been pursuing girls with the aim of harassing them and touching their bodies, specifically girls of foreign nationalities.”
The Union of Progressive Women, a non-profit organization based in Lebanon that advocates for women’s rights and aims to eradicate gender-based violence, issued a response.
The statement read: “The attempted rape of a young woman in Beirut is a wake-up call for all women and girls in Lebanon – not only in Biel, but in all Lebanese streets, alleys, shops and neighborhoods where there are no lights. There are no security personnel, no officially designated safe places for sports hobbies, and no surveillance cameras.
