A young woman entered a bank in Lebanon brandishing a gun, poured gasoline over herself and demanded to withdraw her savings. She left with her $13,000 which the bank has withheld as savings. Later on, it appeared that the gun the lady was holding was a toy.
Access to funds in Lebanese banks has been restricted for some time as the country was facing financial crisis.
Sali Hafiz, an account holder of the bank, wearing black clothes and with her face uncovered, entered the Sodeco branch of BLOM bank in Beirut accompanied by activists from the Depositors’ Outcry Association and a lawyer.
She pulled out a gun, doused herself in gasoline and threatened to set herself and the bank on fire if she did not receive her and her sister’s joint deposits of about $20,000. She said her sister has brain cancer and they need the money to pay medical bills.
It appeared that Hafiz’s 23-year-old sister, Nancy, was in a car parked outside the bank with her husband. She seemed to have lost her hair and her body appeared feeble. She could not walk and had difficulty speaking.
Sali Hafiz walked out of the bank with $13,000 along with her companions and a toy-gun.
