Beirut - (AFP) - The Lebanese judiciary has released a young man who was held hostage last week for hours inside a bank to demand access to his deposited funds after the bank forfeited his personal rights, according to the National News Agency and a judicial official on Tuesday.

The agency stated that "the Public Prosecutor at the Court of Cassation, Judge Ghassan Al-Khoury, gave a signal to release the depositor, Bassam Al-Sheikh Hussein, after the presence of the representative of the Federal Bank (...) to the Public Prosecution Office at the Court of Cassation and revoked the bank's personal rights."

A judicial official told AFP that "due to the dismissal of the personal case and the circumstances of the case, it was decided to leave the detainee with a residence document," but Sheikh Hussein was referred to the Public Prosecution Office of Appeal in Beirut, and "Al-Khoury asked him to be charged with the crimes of kidnapping and threatening citizens."

And last Thursday, Sheikh Hussein entered the "Federal Bank" bank in the crowded Hamra area in western Beirut, carrying a weapon, and demanded that the employees obtain his deposit in order to treat his father, he said.

The security forces imposed a tight cordon around the bank and negotiated with the angry depositor, asking him to open the bank's door and release the detained employees.

Several hours later, Sheikh Hussein turned himself in and agreed to free the hostages "after agreeing to give him 30,000 dollars out of his deposit amounting to 209,000 dollars," according to the National Agency.

Sheikh Hussein was met with broad solidarity, as dozens gathered in front of the bank's door to express their support for him, and social networking sites were buzzing with comments supporting him and demanding his money back, especially with the growing resentment against banks.

Since the fall of 2019, with the onset of the economic collapse that the World Bank ranked as the worst in the world since 1850, banks have imposed strict restrictions on withdrawing bank deposits that have increased little by little, until it has become almost impossible for depositors to dispose of their money, especially those in US dollars, while deposits in local currency have been lost. Its value, with the lira declining more than ninety percent against the dollar.

During the past two years, waiting rooms in banks have witnessed repeated problems between angry citizens who want to obtain their deposits and employees who are committed to the instructions of their departments.