ALBAWABA - A man wearing a cartoon costume reportedly attempted to harass a 4-year-old girl inside a Lebanese restaurant, local media reported.
A video has sparked wide outrage online, showing a man wearing a costume taking the little child away from people and taking off his custom head.
Man wearing custom attempts to harass 4-year-old child in Lebanon
Man in clown clothes, who usually wanders among restaurants in the country in an attempt to entertain children, shockingly took a little girl, who was present with her family at a restaurant, away from the crowd in Tripoli.
According to reports, the incident began when the suspect took the child to a relatively secluded area within the restaurant, taking advantage of the crowds and lively atmosphere. Her grandmother noticed what was happening and quickly alerted the child's father, who immediately followed him into the back corridors, Lebanon Debate reported Wednesday.
Surveillance cameras captured the child with the suspect inside the restaurant. In his initial statement, the suspect claimed he took her "to show her his face."
Was the man trying to harass the child?
According to the father who rushed to his daughter, the 4-year-old told him that the suspect asked her to "give him a kiss and lift her T-shirt". On the other hand, the suspect argued that he was only trying to show her his real face. A brawl erupted in the restaurant before the police came and arrested the man.
The girl's father told Lebanon Debate website that he has filed a lawsuit and will not back down, saying: "I have filed a lawsuit and I will not drop it no matter what happens. There is talk of mediation and attempts to communicate from parties close to the detainee, but as far as I'm concerned, the case will not be closed, and the legal process must take its course."
