Amer Fakhoury, the New Hampshire man who was beaten and tortured after being detained during a family holiday in Lebanon nearly a year ago, died earlier Monday of cancer, according to his family.
Fakhoury returned home in March after a dangerous military rescue operation.
The 57-year-old developed cancer during his forced prison sentence in Beirut, which his family thinks was linked to unsanitary circumstances. A naturalized U.S. citizen, the father of four was arrested on false charges that were drummed up by Hezbollah in his native Lebanon in September last year.
Fakhoury’s family confirmed his death in a statement to Fox News, saying in part, “Amer Fakhoury went with his family to Lebanon. Under Hezbollah’s hands he was tortured and got Epstein-Barr Virus which later developed to stage 4 B cancer lymphoma cancer.God loved Amer Fakhoury so much that he took him out of the hands of these terrorists and brought him to his family in America to live his last days.Fakhoury died a painless death on the morning of August 17th by his wife and four loving children. “
The family thanks the public for their support during Fakhouri’s imprisonment, as well as those who assisted in granting his release.
“We especially want to thank Senator (Jeanne) Shaheen and the administration of President Trump for all they have done to bring Amer back, and especially the support of Senator Shaheen during this difficult time. We also want to thank Ambassador Shea for her support. “Importantly, we want to thank Attorney Céline Atallah for always being there for our family.”
Senator Jeanne Shaheen, D-NH, worked with the White House and State Department to liberate Fakhoury, and responded to his death in a statement offering the condolences to her family.
“It’s heartbreaking to learn from Amer’s passing,” Shaheen said. “Billy and I extend our condolences and continue to offer our support to the Fakhoury family who have been so many. I am very envious that Amer the last months of his life could be surrounded by lovers while receiving the best possible care. Amer was a loving husband, father and grandfather, and a pillar in his congregation. He immigrated to the United States, and through hard work and entrepreneurship, he lived the American dream. I know the whole of New Hampshire mourns with the Fakhoury family. ”
Fakhoury, a father of four, was held free of charge for almost six months after a Hezbollah-backed newspaper accused him of torturing Hezbollah and Palestinian terrorists in the 1980s and 1990s. Fakhoury, who fought with the army of southern Lebanon during the Israeli occupation of the country, was never before charged with the charge, and took advantage of a Lebanese invitation to ex-pats to return to his homeland after he had not seen a family for two decades. The largely Christian power disbanded after Israel came out of Lebanon in 2000, and Fakhoury first sought refuge in Israel and finally in America, where he gained citizenship, opened a successful restaurant and became an active member of the Republican Party.
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Shaheen, a major supporter of US / Lebanon ties, had worked with the Fakhoury family, their lawyer, Lebanese officials, and the US Embassy at the beginning of Fakhoury’s detention, eventually concluding that he was using Fakhoury as a negotiator. Under pressure from the embassy, appointed by shouts from Shaheen, Fakhoury was transferred to a military prison, where a medication documented evidence of torture.
Finally, Shaheen and Senator Ted Cruz, (R-TX) proposed bipartisan sanctions against senior Lebanese officials involved in Fakhoury’s unlawful detention, and the State Department pushed for his release. A military judge responded to the growing pressure by accusing Fakhoury of murder, attempted murder of prisoners, kidnapping and torture, all of which were later dropped.
Soon, the Trump administration received confirmation of her choice of ambassador, Dorothy Shea, by the Senate, and she also began lobbying for his release – despite threats to herself and the U.S. embassy. Meanwhile, Fakhoury’s cancer was declining, and news of a drastic release was leaked to the press. A few days later, Fakhoury was secretly taken to the US Embassy, where he stayed with his wife and lawyer in the hope that word would come about his release.
While the Lebanese courts ruled in his favor – the judge on his case was a Hezbollah sympathizer – a dangerous operation was launched. Fakhoury was flown home from Beirut aboard a US Navy V-22 Osprey from the amphibious assault ship USS Bataan, wearing an oxygen mask and resting on a gurney, before being taken to the US Navy base on the Greek island of Crete. . Eventually, he was returned home to Dover, NH. His rescue by U.S. troops came to him despite a Hezbollah-affiliated judge trying to block his release, which was ordered by a military tribunal.
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Senator Shaheen said she finds Fakhoury’s arrest baseless and politically motivated, adding that he was caught between groups jockeying for power in the state. Shaheen reiterated that her office found no evidence to substantiate the claims against him.
President Trump announced the news of Fakhoury’s release calling his release a ‘big thing’ and that he was on his way. “Today we are bringing another American citizen home,” the president said. Trump also said he was “grateful” to the Lebanese government that the Fakhoury family “stood by him so strongly”, adding that he would “be in great need of care in the US”
At the time of his release, Celine Attalah told Fox News: ‘These innocent Americans went to Lebanon very healthy and see what they did to him. Amer’s only crime is that he is a citizen of the United States, which is why the Lebanese government is holding him hostage in order to obtain a tax on the United States. This is an irregular act of crime by her …. torturing and refusing to be a critically ill innocent American citizen, just for her to get levied across the United States. “
Lebanon is a major beneficiary of US aid, and has received more than $ 2.29 billion in military assistance since 2005. Hezbollah’s influence in Lebanon has grown massively over the years and in the May 2019 elections it increased its number of parliamentary seats to hold some key ministries. The SLA, of which Fakhoury was a former member, was set up to combat Hezbollah’s influence and was funded by the Lebanese government until 2000.
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Fakhoury is survived by his wife Micheline, four daughters and three grandchildren.
Fox News’ Travis Fedschun contributed to this article
