| Lebanese security forces have arrested eight suspects in connection with the stabbing death of 30-year-old George Abu Madi and the knife assault on a group of young men near Sannine Roaster in Ain el-Rummaneh.
The assault, which took place around 10 pm Tuesday, has also left five young men wounded.
The daily An-Nahar on Wednesday cited an official report as saying that the mishap came in the aftermath of a quarrel with a young man from Shiyah who was beaten up by a group of guys near Sannine Roaster in Ain el-Rummaneh.
The argument quickly developed after dozens of knife-yielding young men from Shiyah rode their bikes to the quarrel scene in the adjacent Ain el-Rummaneh neighborhood, attacking a crowd of men.
An army spokesman told AFP that the incident pitted youths from the mainly Shiite district of Shiyah against residents of the nearby Christian area of Ain el-Rummaneh.
"Young men on scooters came from Shiyah and began circling near a restaurant in Ain el-Rummaneh," the spokesman said. "A heated exchange with local residents ensued and knives were used leaving one dead and four injured, all from Ain el-Rummaneh."
The Lebanese army dispatched troops to the area and made arrests. One of the detainees has been identified as Hussein Merhi.
The incident took place in an area that was the first line of demarcation during the 1975-1990 civil war.
Ain el-Rummaneh residents called for a shutdown Wednesday to coincide with the funeral of George Abu Madi |
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