To free up frozen economies in the midst of a severe economic crisis, a man held several hostages for hours in a Lebanese bank. Today he made his way to a branch in the capital Beirut and fired three warning shots. According to the state news agency NNA, he threatened to set himself on fire with gasoline if the money was not paid to him.
So, the man has about 200,000 US dollars (about 193,000 euros) in his account and needs money to pay for his father’s treatment in a hospital. After about eight hours, he finally gave up in the early evening and turned himself in to police, according to security circles. The NNA reported that the bank promised to pay the man $30,000.
The Mediterranean country has been suffering for almost three years with the worst economic crisis in its history. Large sections of the population fell into poverty. The national currency lost more than 90% of its value. Because it is pegged to the dollar, many Lebanese have accounts in US currency. However, with the country running out of foreign exchange supplies, the Lebanese’s ability to withdraw US dollars from their bank is very limited.