Inside the Shatila shooting: What investigators found about Elio Abou Hanna's death

Report by Edmond Sassine, English adaptation by Yasmine Jaroudi    

With the conclusion of the preliminary investigation into the killing of 24-year-old Elio Abou Hanna, new details have emerged about the incident that took place near the Shatila refugee camp.

According to judicial and security sources, six suspects were interrogated after being handed over by the Palestinian National Security Forces to Lebanese Army Intelligence. The investigation found that two of the detainees opened fire at Abou Hanna's car as it passed through a checkpoint inside the camp.

The six are among nine individuals wanted by Army Intelligence, including the gunman seen in videos firing directly at the vehicle.

Forensic findings revealed that Abou Hanna's car was struck by at least seven bullets from multiple directions. Photos and videos showed severe damage to the vehicle, which crashed into a building after the shooting. 

The autopsy report indicated two gunshot wounds—one to the right side of the back and another to the left side of the chest. The fatal shot, fired from a distance with a military-grade weapon, entered from right to left, killing him instantly. A toxicology report confirmed that Abou Hanna had not consumed drugs.

Elio Abou Hanna, a biochemistry graduate of the Holy Spirit University of Kaslik, worked for a pharmaceutical manufacturing company.

Meanwhile, Army Intelligence has also made progress in a separate case involving a young woman, known in the camp as Nancy, whose body was found near rooms used for drug activity in Shatila. Authorities identified her true identity and handed her remains over to her uncle. 

Investigators suspect a man known as "Al-Husseini," currently in hiding, of being involved in her killing, reportedly linked to the local drug trade.

The two cases, Abou Hanna's killing and the murder of the woman, have reignited questions about the government's ability to confront drug traffickers and criminal networks operating in fortified areas beyond state control.