Crisis in Lebanon: 5 bank ‘heists’ in a day as people seek back frozen savings
Five Lebanese banks were stormed yesterday by depositors seeking to unlock frozen savings, the latest in a string of "heists" in the crisis-hit country. Lebanon has been mired in an economic crisis for more than two years, since the value of its currency began plummeting and banks started imposing draconian restrictions on withdrawals. In one case yesterday, a man carrying a gun and jerrycan of fuel demanded staff at a branch of the Byblos bank in the southern town of Ghaziyeh hand over his deposit. Accompanied by his son, the man in his 50s threatened bank staff with the gun, which a Lebanese television channel said may have been a toy, before making his demand. The man walked away with about $19,000 in cash but turned himself in to police moments later. The spate of heists comes two days after a young activist stormed a central Beirut bank with fuel and plastic gun to demand the deposits of her sister, who needed to pay for cancer treatment.The woman identified as Sali Hafiz made off with around $13,000 and became an instant hero on social media.
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