Exclusive, MTV website

The death of the young man, Elie Lahoud, inside the church of Saint Elias Mtayleb yesterday on Tuesday, sparked many reactions on social media, and it was clear that some people intended to turn this case into politics. MTV received accusations from some tweeters of anticipating the investigation, knowing that all the information we provided was based on what the mayor of Mtayleb, Paul Chedid, announced to security sources following the case.

Chedid revealed, in an interview with MTV website, that Lahoud arrived to the church on foot, coming from the direction of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, he kissed the door of the church, lit a candle, entered a room dedicated for baptism, and then walked inside the church, before choosing a corner where he cannot be monitored by surveillance cameras.

Chedid confirmed that the surveillance cameras did not show anyone entering the church before or after Lahoud, except for two young men who sat down to pray and then accidentally discovered the presence of the dead body without approaching it. He also pointed out that there were no open windows inside the church.

He stressed that he came to the church after receiving the news from the Municipality's Police Chief, and played his role as a Judicial Officer. He also informed the relevant security authorities, who proceeded with the investigations.

A security source told MTV website that there are no missing or scattered items in the church, and its seats were still in the same position, noting that the report of the forensic doctor, Dr. Malek Helal, confirmed that there were no signs of violence or drug abuse, and that the shot was fired from a close distance on the left side of the head, which led the body to lean towards the right side.

Chedid uploaded, through his Twitter account, a video showing Lahoud entering the church and touring it before heading towards the corner that cannot be detected by the cameras.