BRITAL, Lebanon: A visitor to the Baalbek village of Brital, which lies a few kilometers south of the city of Baalbek, will recognize the dire socioeconomic conditions and tenuous state of security in the area at first glance.

A Lebanese Army checkpoint stands at the intersection leading to Brital from the western side, backed by a large army base nearby. The arid slopes of the Anti-Lebanon mountain range border the village from the east.

The picture becomes still clearer when Brital’s internal roads come into view, most of them unpaved and full of potholes, and its houses, the bulk of which have yet to be fully constructed, that shelter some 20,000 residents.

The lack of economic opportunities and chronic socioeconomic underdevelopment mean more than just poor job opportunities, according to Brital residents, who say that their village has become a hub for car thieves, drug dealers and other criminals.

The village returned to the media spotlight in early December when four masked gunmen kidnapped Lebanese businessman Ahmad Zeidan, who heads the country’s largest dairy, Liban Lait.

Zeidan was taken close to the entrance to the dairy factory in the area of Hosh Sneid, along the Beirut-Baalbek highway, and was then taken to a mountainous area in Brital.

While the kidnapping only involved abducting one man, it jeopardized the living of around 400 workers at Liban Lait, most of whom hail from Bekaa.

Zeidan’s abduction raised many questions, especially when he was freed four days after he was abducted and no one was arrested. His release was negotiated by Amal official Bassam Tleis on behalf of Speaker Nabih Berri.

Without a clear idea of who was behind the kidnapping, tensions rose in the village.

Two clans became embroiled in a dispute after a member of the Ismail family told security officials that a member of the Tleis family had played a role in Zeidan’s kidnapping.

Following the report, the dispute between the groups nearly escalated into armed clashes.

Meanwhile, media reports said that Mohammad Fayyad Ismail, who hails from the village and reportedly heads a gang of around 20 members, was actually the one responsible for carrying out the kidnapping of Zeidan.

One resident from Brital echoed those reports, telling The Daily Star that Mohammad Fayyad Ismail and Mohammad Morshid Ismail, along with a Syrian from the Kurdi family who was born in Brital, had participated in kidnapping Zeidan and took him to the area of Ain al-Benia near Brital.

“Amal official Bassam Tleis negotiated [with] the kidnappers on behalf of Speaker Nabih Berri through Ali Fayyad Ismail,” said the man, who requested to remain anonymous.

“Zeidan was released after Berri informed the kidnappers that he had agreed with Lebanese officials to send the Lebanese Army to raid the village and its mountainous areas [if Zeidan was not released],” he added.

Zeidan was handed over to Tleis by Ali Fayyad Ismail in an area called Ain al-Jawzi in Brital’s mountainous district after which he was taken by the two to Berri’s residence in Ain al-Tineh, according to the resident.

The economic situation has led many Brital residents to participate and advance in the ranks of Shiite social and political movements, such as Amal and Hezbollah.

Sheikh Sobhi Toufeili hails from the village and was at one time secretary-general of Hezbollah before breaking away from the party.

Toufeili is still a popular political figure in Brital with strong influence over local politics, demonstrated by the recent success of the candidates he backed in the village’s municipal elections in 2010.

Some point to this break from the major parties as a reason behind the area’s poor economic prospects.

Brital Mayor Abbas Zaki Ismail said he blamed influential political groups for the absence of development projects in Brital and the inability of its residents to find employment in the public sector.

But there is one sphere where the state pays disproportionate attention to the area.

The village has seen numerous campaigns by the Lebanese Army and Internal Security Forces, leading to the arrest of criminals as well as the heads of some of these gangs, including Abbas Tleis who at the time of his arrest had around 350 outstanding arrest warrants.

For his part, Hasan Mazloum, a prominent figure from Brital, condemned the kidnapping, saying it was a “big insult” to all people of the village and the region. He argued that a bleak future pushed young people in the village to become criminals.

Mazloum said that the kidnapping did have one positive aspect, as it drew the attention of officials to the state of the village.

“Residents of a village, who are known for kindness, courage and loyalty, are only in need of some care, to have an opportunity for decent living,” he said.