Lebanese captured in viral video threatening to slaughter Ghanaian at Osu arrested

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The Ghana Police Service has arrested the cutlass-wielding Lebanese national who was captured in a widely condemned viral video threatening to slaughter a Ghanaian man during an argument.

The arrest of the suspect, identified as Osman Brustani, was announced by the law enforcement agency in a statement posted on its Facebook page on Wednesday, April 13.

“The suspect is in police custody and will be taken through the due process of the law,” the statement said in part.

It added that “before the arrest, the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Dr. George Akuffo Dampare, reached out to the victim yesterday, Tuesday, April 13, 2022, via a telephone call and he seemed traumatised by the incident.”

“As a result, upon the IGP’s instruction, the victim has been given psychological support by a clinical psychologist from the Police Hospital. The IGP also followed up with a personal visit to the victim today, Wednesday, 13th April, 2022.”

Before Brustani‘s arrest, the Lebanese embassy in Accra had entreated the police to arrest and deal with him according to the laws of the land, saying it does not condone any actions by Lebanese citizens that violate the laws of their host countries.

“We reject all forms of violence and intimidation, as well as anyone who does not treat the people of the host country with respect and in accordance with applicable laws,” the Lebanese embassy wrote on Facebook.

A 14-second long video making the rounds on social media in the past few days shows the tall, giant, and bearded Brustani, wielding two cutlasses. He is heard yelling at a Ghanaian identified as Iddrisu Yusif, daring him to draw near him, amidst threats of slitting his throat.

The incident did not sit well with many Ghanaians, and they called on the Ghana Police Service to track Brustani and arrest him. In their view, it is utterly wrong for a foreign national to have the audacity to threaten a Ghanaian in his own country with death and go scot-free.