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– Mystery surrounds the death of a Briton in Lebanon after he was found
dead under suspicious circumstances in a town near the Syrian border. Lee Harrison, 35, was discovered hanged at a house in Deir al-Ahmar in the eastern Bekaa region.
Police had initially treated it as a suicide, but doctors examining
his body said they believed he had “not commit suicide or died of
natural causes”, suggesting a murder could have been covered up. He was said to have visited a friend on Wednesday in the nearby town of Iaat before travelling on to Deir al-Ahmar. Reports suggested he had been in Lebanon for 10 days before his death.
Pictures of the crime scene appeared to show a man’s face heavily bruised and swollen and marked by cuts.
The case has been referred to the judicial police in Baalbek.
It is possible that the deceased may have been a jihadist escaping
neighbouring Syria using a British passport to evade authorities.
Hundreds of British jihadists fighting for Islamic State of Iraq and
the Levant (Isil) have passed through Syria and many of their passports
are believed to have gone missing or been duplicated.
The British embassy in Lebanon said they were aware of reports of the
death and were in contact with local authorities for further
information.
The investigating officer in charge of the case told the Telegraph he
was due to receive the case file later tomorrow, and could not comment
until he had seen its contents.
The Bekaa, largely under the control of the Shia militant group
Hizbollah, was once a popular destination with tourists visiting its
roman ruins and vineyards.
But in recent years Westerners have largely stayed away following a spate of kidnappings.
Seven Estonian cyclists were snatched in 2011 in the Bekaa Valley and held for more than 100 days before they were released.
Last year, five Czech nationals were abducted as they drove through the town. They were released unharmed several months later.
The Foreign Office advises against all but necessary travel to the area.
It has also seen a spillover from the Syrian war just a few miles away.
Last month the Lebanese army arrested scores of Syrians in Deir
al-Ahmar accused of being members of a terrorist group. One was charged
with trying to recruit people to work for the group.
The British have tried to help Lebanon protect its border from
terrorist organisations such as Isil and al-Qaeda linked groups,
including the building of a dozen watchtowers along its eastern frontier
to try to stop Isil’s advance.
