BEIRUT: Eight people, including a Lebanese Army soldier, were arrested Friday on suspicion of blasphemy and drug possession in Mount Lebanon and handed over to the military prosecutor’s office.

A judicial source told The Daily Star that the detainees are believed to be “devil worshippers”. The suspects – five of whom are male and three female, all under the age of 25 – were also found to be self-harming.

Military Judge Saqr Saqr will charge the eight on Saturday, according to the source.

So-called devil worship can be prosecuted under the section of the penal code which outlaws blasphemy and immoral conduct.

In 2003, more than 50 people, mainly teenagers, were arrested on suspicion of devil worship and drug abuse. A handful were convicted.

The government said at the time it had adopted measures to confront what it described as the rise of the phenomenon, with the arrests following weeks of monitoring by Internal Security Forces.