Shootout at US Embassy in Lebanon, Gunman Caught

US officials confirmed last Wednesday that the gunman who opened fire on the US Embassy in Lebanon and injured a security guard was shot by Lebanese soldiers and taken into custody.

According to local media outlets, the June 5 shootout involved at least one gunman and lasted nearly 30 minutes. One witness who works near the embassy said between 15 and 20 rounds were fired.

Local media published photos of the injured attacker wearing a black vest with “Islamic State” printed in Arabic along with the English letters “I S.” However, Islamic State claimed no responsibility for the attack.

According to Lebanese officials familiar with last Wednesday’s attack, the gunman, a resident of Majdal Anjar near Lebanon’s border with Syria, was likely a lone attacker.

The Lebanese army confirmed that the military raided Majdal Anjar as well as the nearby town of Suweiri, after the attack, and three of the suspect’s relatives, along with two other suspected associates, were arrested. However, no other gunmen were found and there was no evidence that the attacker was part of an extremist cell.

The suspect, who was shot in the leg and stomach before he was captured, was transported to a military hospital in Beirut.

A spokesperson from the US Embassy confirmed that one security guard was injured in the shootout but would not go into further detail out of respect for the guard’s privacy.

In a June 5 State Department press briefing, press secretary Matthew Miller said the guard was “seriously injured” in the shooting. He said the Embassy was “immediately secured” after the shootout and would remain closed until Thursday, June 6.

Miller also confirmed that the shooter wore what appeared to be an IS vest but said an investigation into the shooting and a possible motive was ongoing.

The Lebanese military confirmed that troops were deployed around the US Embassy and surrounding areas following the attack.