BEIRUT: A hunch by a young Lebanese security officer prevented a potential massacre as scores of people watched a World Cup match in Beirut, but it also cost his own life.
The intuition and bravery of 20-year-old General Security agency inspector Abdel Karim Hodroj meant he was hailed as a hero on Tuesday.
Hodroj had been driving home late on Monday with a colleague, Ali Jaber, when they saw a white Mercedes driving against the traffic flow toward the cafe, a senior General Security official told AFP.
At the time the south Beirut cafe was packed with scores of people watching the Brazil-Cameroon clash.
“The vehicle stopped in the middle of the road, and a man got out. (Hodroj and Jaber) stopped him and questioned him. The man said his car key was broken, and he couldn’t drive any more,” the official said on condition of anonymity.
The two officers were immediately on guard in a country where car bombings are common, and south Beirut — heartland of Lebanon’s Hezbollah organization — has been a frequent target.
Jaber went to the closest army checkpoint to report his suspicions, while Hodroj stayed to ensure the man did not get away, the official said.
Jaber was 30 meters away when “the explosion happened,” he added.
Hodroj was killed, and Jaber and several bystanders were wounded.
The densely populated Shiite neighborhood of Shiyah was in shock Tuesday, as Hodroj’s 47-year-old father Fadel received condolences at a hall in the Two Martyrs Cemetery.
“Your son is a hero,” one visitor told the bereaved shopkeeper whose eyes were red with tears as he chain-smoked to help him cope with the pain and muttered “God keep you” to mourners.
“He saved the neighborhood. He saved us from a massacre. We consider him a hero. We are proud of him,” Hodroj’s uncle said.
Hodroj was the sole fatality of the car bombing that the official National News Agency said also wounded 12 people.
“Some 200 people were watching the match. Abdel Karim (Hodroj) loved football and was impatient to watch his favorite team Italy play Uruguay on Tuesday,” his uncle told AFP.
“He was so young. We should have been organizing his wedding, not his funeral ceremony.”
The pain of loss was especially difficult to bear for Hodroj’s father Fadel — Abdel Karim was his only son.
A photograph at the funeral depicted a young man with black hair, fine features and smiling mischievous eyes.
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Officer’s hunch prevents Beirut carnage
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