Murder of Gavin Ford: suspects confess

The Internal Security Forces (ISF) announced Thursday that the two suspects detained in connection with the investigation into the murder of British radio host Gavin Ford, found dead on Tuesday at his home, confessed to their crime.

"On Tuesday, the lifeless body of Gavin Ford (…) was found tied up inside his home in Broummana, and after examination of the remains, it turned out that the victim died after been strangled and hit on the face with a blunt object, "police said in a statement.

"(…) Within hours, an ISF intelligence patrol found the victim's vehicle that was stolen immediately after the murder, stationed at Souk el-Ahad, at the police station. After the investigation, a Syrian national was suspected of murder: AA (27 years old) On Wednesday, after a surveillance operation, the individual was arrested in Nabaa neighborhood. In his interrogation, he admitted to having taken part in the murder alongside a Syrian accomplice, HB (23 years old), claiming, however, to know where this accomplice is, "the police said.

"Five hours after this information, the second suspect was located and arrested during an operation in Jnah, Beirut, and during his interrogation the second suspect also confessed to taking part in the crime. were rushed to Gavin Ford's home at noon on Monday to rob the victim, then strangled the radio host and hit him with a blunt object, leaving him unconscious and running away. They then hid part of their loot in their place of residence in Nabaa, "added the ISPs. They explain that during a search of this place, the cell phone, the keys of the car and the identity documents of the victim were found.

The police finally point out that the two suspects are not the two young men who appear alongside the victim in a video filmed by Gavin Ford shortly before his murder and has been broadcast on social networks in recent days.

(Read also: After the announcement of the death of Gavin Ford, his relatives testify)

Gavin Ford has been broadcasting on Radio One for twenty years, every day from Monday to Friday from 7am to 10am, a very popular show, "Gavin Ford in the Morning", with the Lebanese presenter Olga Habre. According to one of his colleagues, quoted by the Daily Star, Mr. Ford did not show up Monday at the station as every morning and did not answer calls from his colleagues. The director of Radio One then alerted the ISPs who found him dead at his home.

On Wednesday, the general prosecutor at the Supreme Court, Samir Hammoud, asked the general commissioner of the government at the military court, Peter Germanos, to open an investigation to determine who leaked information about the investigation into this murder. Judge Hammoud also instructed the government commissioner to determine the person responsible for distributing photographs of the crime scene and to take the necessary judicial measures. Shortly after the announcement of Mr. Ford's death, photos of the crime scene were widely shared on social media, prompting many reactions. Several personalities have denounced the dissemination of these photos and the lack of respect that such a flight represents for the deceased and his relatives.

Find here the interview of our colleague Colette Khalaf with Gavin Ford, published in February 2017.