Holds up bank to get his money

[PowderRiverCowboy]

BEIRUT, Aug 11 (Reuters) - A hostage situation in a Beirut, Lebanon, bank ended on Thursday after authorities agreed to grant a Lebanese gunman partial access to his frozen funds in exchange for releasing all six hostages.

Bassam al-Sheikh Hussein, 42, entered the Federal Bank of Lebanon branch in the Hamra neighborhood of west Beirut with a firearm just before noon on Thursday, a security source told Reuters.

"He demanded access to around $200,000 he had in his bank account. When the employee refused the request, he began screaming that his relatives were in the hospital. Then he pulled out the gun," the source said.

The hostage situation ended after six hours when the bank agreed to give the man around $30,000, his sister and the head of a local banking association told local media. It was not immediately clear if the terms of the settlement included any criminal charges.

Some bank customers managed to flee before he shut the doors on the rest, said the source.

At least one elderly man was released from the bank because of his age and government negotiators were deployed to begin talks with the hostage taker, the interior ministry said.

 

 

[Badlands Bob #61228]

I wonder why his account was frozen.  If the bank through some administrative BS wouldn't give me my money, I might take hostages too.  

[PowderRiverCowboy]

53 minutes ago, Badlands Bob #61228 said:

I wonder why his account was frozen.  If the bank through some administrative BS wouldn't give me my money, I might take hostages too.  

 Bank not letting people have any withdrawls 

Since Lebanon's financial crisis took hold in 2019, Lebanese banks have limited withdrawals of hard currency for most depositors during the country's three-year financial meltdown, which has left more than three-quarters of the population struggling.

Banks say they make exceptions for humanitarian cases including hospital care but depositors and their representatives have told Reuters those exemptions are rarely implemented.
https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/armed-man-demanding-frozen-deposits-takes-hostages-lebanese-commercial-bank-2022-08-11/

[Rip Snorter]

Just wait for cashless, add Social Credits, a veritable paradise!

[Buckshot Bob]

15 hours ago, Rip Snorter said:

Just wait for cashless, add Social Credits, a veritable paradise!

It’s all about control. Look at what they did to the Canadian truckers , cut off any way they could where people could donate to their cause and then froze their personal finances. Access to a stash of cash prevents this control . Probably why one of the big reasons many government agencies consider any large stash of cash to be drug money. Along with their own greed, by using it for their reason for confiscation.