Lebanon Interior Minister Calls Uber Unsafe Following British Diplomat Murder

• Lebanon's Interior Minister warned citizens that Uber is unsafe
• This comes after a British diplomat was murdered by an Uber driver
• He urged people to use private taxi companies to get around
• Uber employees held a protest denouncing the labeling of their services as illegal

Interior Minister Nouhad Machnouk Wednesday said that the popular ride-hailing app Uber was unsafe days after the murder of a British woman by a driver contracted with the company.

Speaking during the annual lunch event held by the Beirut Municipality, Machnouk called on Lebanese to use private taxi companies to get around the city.

His remarks came after it was revealed that the suspected killer of Rebecca Dykes, who worked at the British Embassy in Beirut, held a taxi license and was a registered Uber driver.

Dykes had used the app to hail a ride home from the Mar Mikhael neighborhood Friday night. The suspect’s car’s journey was tracked through the Uber app and the details were provided to the Lebanese authorities during the investigation.

“You all know about the incident that happened through Uber regarding the British diplomat. I call on all Lebanese not to use this application as a means of transportation,” Machnouk said. “We don’t consider it safe and there are [private] taxi [companies] people can use.” He added that there was not a clear legal framework within which to deal with the company because the service operates online.

“I want to warn that dealing with Uber is fraught with danger and the best thing is to resort back to traditional means [of travel],” Machnouk said. “And the worst thing is that it turned out [the driver] had priors.”

Dykes’ body was found Saturday on the side of the Metn highway, bearing signs of strangulation. A suspect, the Uber driver, was taken into custody Monday and sources revealed that he had a criminal record, with charges related to theft, harassment and drugs.

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An Uber spokesperson in Lebanon dismissed Machnouk’s comments, reiterating earlier statements maintaining that the driver had presented a clean criminal record, as stipulated by the company’s policy. “All drivers who use the Uber app in Lebanon are fully licensed by the government and must have a clear judicial record,” the spokesperson said.

The Uber spokesperson also emphasized that the company’s operations were perfectly legal in Lebanon and that while customers interact primarily with an app, the company had a physical presence in the country. “That’s absolutely not true,” the spokesperson said, in response to Machnouk. “We have a business and team on the ground in Beirut.”

A copy of what was reported to be the suspect’s driver’s license and judicial record appeared to be clear of any infractions. Two Uber sources affirmed that the documents were genuine. However, it could not be confirmed with Lebanese authorities whether the documents belonged to the suspect.

An attorney had previously said that criminal records could be cleared after a certain number of years, depending on the crime that was committed.

Uber employees in Lebanon held a brief protest Wednesday evening denouncing the labeling of their services as illegal.

The circumstances of Dykes’ killing have prompted questions as to how to improve regulations for obtaining taxi licenses in Lebanon and oversight of ride-hailing apps such as Uber.

While the investigation into her murder continues, Dykes’ body will be handed over to the British Embassy in preparation to be repatriated to the U.K., in accordance with a decision by Mount Lebanon Investigative Judge Hanna Braidy, a judicial source said.

This article has been adapted from its original source.