Lebanese Director Simon Asmar Arrested in Connection with Murder

Famed Lebanese television director Simon Asmar was arrested on Saturday in connection with the murder of 27-year-old Mohamad Ragheb Al Darwish, a Syrian national who reportedly worked at Asmar’s restaurant, Nahr Al Founoun.

Darwish’s body was found last week on the outskirts of the Kesrouan town of Shahtoul. He had been stabbed and shot in the head three times.

Reports from both Al-Jadeed news and LBC news over the weekend suggested Darwish was trying to blackmail Asmar with what were described as “suspicious videos.”

Meanwhile, Asmar’s son, Bashir, denied his father had been accused of Darwish’s murder in a Tweet he sent out on Saturday, saying Simon had been interrogated only because the victim had worked at one of his father’s restaurants.