Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
American Journalist Freed in Lebanon After Questioning
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 5 years ago on
January 21, 2020

Share

BEIRUT — An American freelance journalist who was detained in Lebanon on suspicion of broadcasting live footage of protests to an Israeli news outlet has been released, the journalist said Tuesday.

“I’m glad that I have been released from custody and extremely grateful for the love and support [from colleagues around the Middle East].” — Nicholas Frakes
Nicholas Frakes, 24, told The Associated Press he was released from nearly two days in detention after an official Lebanese investigation showed he was innocent.
Security forces detained Frakes on Sunday night on suspicion of broadcasting live footage to the Israeli Haaretz. Lebanon and Israel are in a state of war and ban their citizens from visiting or contacting the other country and any contact is considered illegal.
“I’m glad that I have been released from custody and extremely grateful for the love and support” from colleagues around the Middle East, said Frakes, who has been living in Lebanon since December 2018. Frakes is originally from Alta Loma, California.
Frakes said in a telephone interview that during his 42-hour detention he was held in solitary confinement in a small room after his telephone, camera and notebook were confiscated. He got all his belongings back upon his release.

Frakes’ Arrest Came Amid Intense Riots

“They were kind to me. If I needed a cigarette or some food or water they would get it to me but at the same time I was stuck in a room that had a window but it was blocked so I couldn’t see if it was night or day,” he said. “It was kind of a mixed experience to be fair.”
He added that he was allowed to call his girlfriend and also received a call from an American diplomat.
In a statement released Monday, Lebanon’s State Security department said Frakes was at the scene of the protest near the parliament building, a location from which someone was broadcasting live to the Israeli paper. State Prosecutor Ghassan Oueidat referred him to Military Intelligence for questioning and investigation, the department said.
Haaretz denied any connection to Frakes, saying the video streaming from the protests on its Facebook page was a feed from an international news agency.
Frakes’ arrest came amid intense riots over the weekend near the parliament building that left hundreds of people injured. Lebanon has been witnessing three months of protests against the country’s political elite that demonstrators blame for decades of corruption and mismanagement.
The area outside Parliament was packed with journalists, many of them correspondents for international news agencies. International coverage of the three-month old protests in Lebanon has picked up in the past two days as the violence worsened.
[activecampaign form=29]

DON'T MISS

What Are Fresno Real Estate Experts Predicting for 2025 and Beyond?

DON'T MISS

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

DON'T MISS

Hawaiian Airlines Hit by Cyber Attack

DON'T MISS

US House Committee Subpoenas Harvard Over Tuition Costs

DON'T MISS

Convicted Felon Caught With Guns, Ammunition in Fresno Bust

DON'T MISS

Fresno Advocates Want Respect for Immigrants, Defend Miguel Arias

DON'T MISS

Crypto Industry Moves Into US Housing Market

DON'T MISS

Bill Moyers, Broadcaster and LBJ’s White House Press Secretary, Dies at 91

DON'T MISS

Trump Says a Deal Related to Trade Was Signed With China on Wednesday

DON'T MISS

Clovis Police Searching for At-Risk Missing Man Last Seen in Fresno

DON'T MISS

State Department Approves $30 Million for Gaza Humanitarian Foundation

DON'T MISS

Wonderdog Still Barking: Justin Wilson Thrives With Boston Red Sox

UP NEXT

Trump Says a Deal Related to Trade Was Signed With China on Wednesday

UP NEXT

State Department Approves $30 Million for Gaza Humanitarian Foundation

UP NEXT

No Known Intelligence That Iran Moved Uranium, US Defense Chief Says

UP NEXT

Israel Says Iran’s Supreme Leader Avoided Assassination by Going Underground

UP NEXT

Tesla Executive, Elon Musk Confidant Leaves EV Maker, Bloomberg News Reports

UP NEXT

Cargo Ship That Caught Fire Carrying Electric Vehicles Sinks in the Pacific

UP NEXT

How the United States Helped Create Iran’s Nuclear Program

UP NEXT

Israel Halts Aid Into Gaza, Official Says, Clans Deny Hamas Is Stealing It

UP NEXT

Israeli Settlers Raid West Bank Town, Troops Kill 3 Palestinians

UP NEXT

Trump Says Netanyahu’s Trial Should Be Canceled

Fresno Advocates Want Respect for Immigrants, Defend Miguel Arias

3 hours ago

Crypto Industry Moves Into US Housing Market

3 hours ago

Bill Moyers, Broadcaster and LBJ’s White House Press Secretary, Dies at 91

4 hours ago

Trump Says a Deal Related to Trade Was Signed With China on Wednesday

5 hours ago

Clovis Police Searching for At-Risk Missing Man Last Seen in Fresno

5 hours ago

State Department Approves $30 Million for Gaza Humanitarian Foundation

5 hours ago

Wonderdog Still Barking: Justin Wilson Thrives With Boston Red Sox

6 hours ago

Anna Wintour to Step Down From Vogue Editor-in-Chief Role, Media Reports Say

6 hours ago

Feds Charge Bullard High Teacher With Child Porn, Sexual Exploitation of a Minor

6 hours ago

New Data Clarifies a Lingering Question on 2024 Turnout

6 hours ago

Hawaiian Airlines Hit by Cyber Attack

WASHINGTON – Hawaiian Airlines said on Thursday that some of its IT systems were disrupted by a hack, adding its flights were operatin...

2 hours ago

Hawaiian Airlines airplanes on the runway at the Daniel K. Inouye International Airport in Honolulu, Hawaii, U.S. April 28, 2020.
2 hours ago

Hawaiian Airlines Hit by Cyber Attack

A view of Harvard campus on John F. Kennedy Street at Harvard University is pictured in Cambridge, Massachusetts, U.S., December 7, 2023. (Reuters File)
2 hours ago

US House Committee Subpoenas Harvard Over Tuition Costs

A convicted felon was arrested in Fresno County after investigators found a rifle, handgun, and ammunition while serving a search warrant. (Fresno PD)
3 hours ago

Convicted Felon Caught With Guns, Ammunition in Fresno Bust

3 hours ago

Fresno Advocates Want Respect for Immigrants, Defend Miguel Arias

American_Flag_Bitcoin_1280x720
3 hours ago

Crypto Industry Moves Into US Housing Market

Journalist Bill Moyers delivers the keynote speech at the People for the American Way Foundation's Spirit of Liberty dinner in Beverly Hills September 21, 2004. (Reuters File)
4 hours ago

Bill Moyers, Broadcaster and LBJ’s White House Press Secretary, Dies at 91

President Donald Trump speaks during a "One Big Beautiful" event at the White House in Washington, DC., U.S., June 26, 2025. (Reuters/Nathan Howard)
5 hours ago

Trump Says a Deal Related to Trade Was Signed With China on Wednesday

Clovis police are searching for Surinder Pal, 55, an at-risk man last seen in Fresno, after his car was found abandoned. (Clovis PD)
5 hours ago

Clovis Police Searching for At-Risk Missing Man Last Seen in Fresno

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend