One killed, two wounded in shootout with police

A man suspected of carrying out several car thefts was killed and two of his accomplices wounded on Tuesday in a shootout with police, police officials said.

Police investigations found that the three men had stolen a Mercedes from the town of Mina in northern Lebanon and were consequently engaged in a car chase with members armed of the gang.

One man was killed and two others wounded in the exchange of fire between the security forces, aided by Syrian troops in the region, and the suspects.

The stolen car was recovered and the two wounded men were arrested, police said.

Two other suspects were arrested at dawn Monday after a clash with police, in which Sergeant Antoine Tannous and another policemen were wounded.

The two suspects admitted they were members of a car-theft gang and helped police recover dozens of stolen cars in northern Lebanon, including the Mercedes of Akkar Parliament member Abdel-Rahman Abdel-Rahman.