Recent developments in Sheikh Ahmad Rifai's murder

About two months ago, the mayor of Karkaf, Yahya Rifai, his son, and three of their relatives (the sons of the mayor's sister) began preparing for the crime. And the reason is years-old personal problems between the two sides and many mutual accusations and lawsuits.

The plan was to lure Sheikh Ahmad Rifai to Tripoli, and about a week before the kidnapping took place, the mayor and his son put the final touches on their plan.

However, on February 20, the perpetrators started implementing the plan as they lured the Sheikh to Maarad area in Tripoli.

The group consisting of the mayor, his son, and three brothers related to him were masked and waiting in two civilian vehicles, which had their license plates removed.

Upon his arrival, the two cars blocked his way, and the perpetrators beat him and put him in the trunk of one of the vehicles.

The perpetrators then went to Al-Haikaliyeh town in Koura, where they left the victim's car after removing its license plates and placing them inside.

Three of the perpetrators drove off toward Jdeidet Al-Qaitaa in one car.

Additionally, to avoid drawing the attention of the military at the security checkpoints, the mayor, who is an old man, used his "religious card."

However, in one of the areas of Jdeidet Al-Qaytaa, the mayor's son had previously prepared a hole about three meters deep located within a landfill.

Sheikh Ahmad Rifai was taken out of the vehicle's trunk, shot dead, and thrown into the hole.

A few days after the crime, the mayor of Al-Karkaf, Yahya Rifai, was intentionally sending waste to this landfill to hide any trace of the hole.

The perpetrators confessed all of this information in the investigation at the Information Division.

Furthermore, LBCI learned that it was found that the arrested person who was handed over to Information Division by the Army Intelligence has no connection to the crime and did not know anything about it, and he will be released. 

Moreover, the rumors about the involvement of a relative of the perpetrators, a member of the Information Division, were incorrect.

Only the group of five is concerned with the crime, and all of its members were arrested by the First Investigative Judge in north Samaranda Nassar.

A gang professionalized this murder, so its members did not use phones and carried out professional camouflage operations with cars after the kidnapping.

However, the judiciary is now in charge of the perpetrators and is the sole body with authority to bring the victim's family justice.