Gunman arrested after shooting outside US embassy in Lebanon

AUKAR, Lebanon (AP) — A gunman who attacked the U.S. Embassy near Beirut was shot and captured by Lebanese soldiers after a shootout Wednesday morning that wounded an embassy security guard, military and embassy officials said.

The attack came as tensions simmered in the small Mediterranean state. Months of fighting between Hezbollah fighters and Israeli troops have forced thousands of people along the border to flee after years of political blockade and economic hardship.

Local media reported a shootout involving at least one attacker that lasted nearly half an hour.

Joe Abdo, who works at a gas station near the site, said he heard “about 15 to 20 gunshots” while at work that morning. “We ran here to see what was going on and suddenly the army blocked us,” he told the Associated Press.

The motive was not immediately clear, but Lebanese media published photos that appear to show a bloodied attacker wearing a black vest with the words “Islamic State” written on it in Arabic and the English initials “I” and “S.”

A Lebanese security official and two judicial officials familiar with the case said the gunman appeared to be a lone gunman. They identified him as a resident of the eastern Lebanese border town of Majdal Anjar, near Syria. The Lebanese military had previously identified the suspect as a Syrian national.

They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the press.

The military searched both Majdal Anjar and nearby Suweiri and arrested relatives of the suspect there, but found no other shooters or evidence of a possible extremist cell, the officials added.

Officials said the suspect was shot in the stomach and leg before being captured and taken to a military hospital in Beirut.

A U.S. embassy spokesman said in a statement that an embassy security officer was injured in the attack.

“Out of respect for his privacy, we cannot say more, but we wish him a full recovery,” said the spokesman, who spoke on condition of anonymity in accordance with regulations.

A statement from the office of Lebanese interim Prime Minister Najib Mikati said that after meetings with the defense minister and the army commander, he was informed that the situation was now stable and serious investigations were underway.

The Lebanese military said it had deployed troops around the embassy and surrounding areas.

In 1983, 63 people were killed in a bomb attack on the US embassy in Beirut. US authorities blame the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah for the attack.

After this attack, the embassy was moved from the center of Beirut to the Christian suburb of Aukar in the north of the capital. On September 20, 1984, the new location was hit by another bomb attack.

In September 2023, Lebanese security forces arrested a Lebanese man who opened fire near the U.S. Embassy. There were no injuries in this attack.

In October 2023, demonstrations in support of the people of the Gaza Strip and the militant group Hamas in the war against Israel led to clashes between hundreds of protesters and Lebanese security forces near the US Embassy.

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Chehayeb reported from Beirut. Associated Press writer Abby Sewell in Beirut contributed to this report.