BEIRUT: The Lebanese Army has detained an Egyptian national accused of illegally selling a mobile phone line to an individual involved in the recent kidnapping case of a 12-year-old boy, it said Friday.

“Through an expanded probe into the kidnapping of Mohammad Awadah, the directorate [of Intelligence] detained on Feb. 27, 2013, Mohammad Al-Sayyed Zaki al-Sayyed Fidawi [Egyptian] who owns a mobile phone store in Shiyah for selling one of the involved in the kidnapping [case] a mobile phone line without a legal identification document,” the Army said in a statement.

Interrogation with Fidawi revealed he had provided mobile phone lines and the necessary identification documents for securing such lines to customers wishing to conceal their identities.

Awada, 12, was abducted last month outside his home in Moseitbeh in Beirut while waiting for a school bus. He was freed five days later after his parents reportedly paid a $250,000 ransom.

The military warned cellular shop owners against the practice of selling lines without the proper identification documents, saying it would take action against those breaking the law.

“The Army warns cell phone shop owners against violating the law by failing to request identification documents from the customer that proves [their] identities, otherwise they will face legal prosecution given [the impact] such violations have on security and stability,” the statement said.