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According to Lebanese authorities, the arrests follow a letter issued by Interpol in Egypt on August 27. Picture for illustrative purposes only. Image Credit: Shutterstock

Dubai: Three Egyptian men have been arrested in Lebanon for their involvement in the alleged gang rape of a young woman at the Fairmont Nile City hotel in 2014, local Lebanese media has reported.

According to Lebanese authorities, the arrests follow a letter issued by Interpol in Egypt on August 27, with the names of seven Egyptian men who are accused of raping an 18-year –old woman in the Cairo hotel six years ago.

In a statement, the Lebanon’s Internal Security Forces (ISF) said they received the Interpol letter following intelligence information that five of the suspects had entered Lebanon where three remained in the country. The three suspects were arrested on August 28 in the village of Fatqa in Mount Lebanon.

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The rape allegedly took place six years ago, but the accusations only emerged online in July. Egypt’s Public Prosecution launched a probe into the gang rape case early August after receiving a letter from the National Council for Women that included a complaint from the young woman, who claimed she was gang-raped at the Fairmont Hotel in 2014.

According to social media accounts, sources confirmed the presence of the alleged rapists at Fairmont hotel on February 21, 2014 where they dragged and repeatedly raped the victim, who was degraded by at least six men.

The arrests in Lebanon come a few days after Egyptian authorities detained another suspect in the case while he attempted to flee the country.

The Egyptian prosecution said last week it was seeking to arrest a total of nine suspects, adding that seven had fled abroad following the dissemination of their identities on social media platforms.