BEIRUT: Interior Minister Marwan Charbel said Friday security forces had arrested a gang of 11 people accused of multiple robberies and murders across the country, describing it as the ministry’s holiday gift for citizens.

"Security forces arrested a gang of 11 people who had carried out 122 robberies, murders and thefts on Lebanese territories, from Jounieh all the way to the area round the airport,” Charbel told reporters during a news conference at the ministry’s headquarters.

He added that one more gang member was still on the run, which delayed the ministry’s “gift for citizens.”

“The gang members used to rob Syrian workers, steal their identification cards and carry out thefts and killings using the workers' names,” Charbel said.

He noted that officials from all parts of the country particularly in Beirut’s southern suburbs, a Hezbollah’s stronghold, have cooperated with police.

Charbel said the gang members, who were of different nationalities, carried out crimes in various areas in the country such as Beirut, its southern suburbs and the Metn area.

During the news conference, the minister also spoke about security measures to be taken for the holiday weekend to maintain a secure environment and safety on the road.

Some of these measures include strengthening the presence of security personnel around places of worship and small neighborhoods where crime is prevalent.

Charbel also touched upon Defense Minister Fayez Ghosn's recent comments regarding the presence of Al-Qaeda members among Syrian refugees in Lebanon, saying that Ghosn’s remarks were misunderstood.

Last week, Ghosn said arms were being smuggled and “some terrorist members of the Al-Qaeda organization” entered Lebanon through some illegal crossings on the Lebanese-Syrian border, particularly [the Bekaa border town of] Arsal, under the guise that they belong to the Syrian opposition. He said controlling these operations is the responsibility of the army and security forces, saying he will bring up this issue with the Cabinet and brief it on the information he has in this respect.

Ghosn’s statement has since come under fire from March 14 politicians who have accused him of seeking to serve the regime of President Bashar Assad which is facing serious challenges from a nine-month popular revolt.

Charbel said there were “no evidence indicating the presence of Al-Qaeda in Lebanon."

"There might be some people who sympathize with the organization and support their extremist ideology but that does not mean that [members] are present,” he said.

“[That being said] we can’t neglect the hypothesis that Lebanon may act as a conduit for members belonging to Al-Qaeda but certainly not as a base,” he added.