The Taxi Driver Killers: Lebanon’s First Ever Serial Killer Case

Did you know that Lebanon had serial killers on the loose back in 2011? In case you didn’t know about the chilling story of the Taxi Driver Killers, we’re about to let you in on the grim details of the country’s (possibly) first ever serial killer case.

So, who are these infamous killers? Brothers George and Michel Tanielian shocked the nation with their harrowing crimes. Between July and November 2011, they went on a spree, killing 11 taxi drivers and passengers in Lebanon’s Matn District.

Image unrelated to the case.

The way they did it was simple. At night, they would board taxis together. George would sit in the front seat next to the driver, with Michel taking the back seat. Upon reaching a secluded spot, George would ask the driver to stop so he could “relieve himself”. As soon as the driver would pull over and George gets out, Michel would shoot the driver in the head. They would then rob the driver, set the car on fire, and sometimes dump the body on the side of the road. In other cases, they used the taxi to transport other victims, whom they also robbed and murdered.

Locals were deeply unsettled by the murders, and the police were facing significant challenges due to the lack of forensic evidence. Efforts to catch the killers in the act, including undercover operations by agents posing as taxi drivers, didn’t work. A breakthrough came when a call made from the victim’s phone led investigators to a minor who had bought the phone from George Tanielian. This clue led to the arrest of all five Tanielian brothers and their mother. Michel eventually confessed to the crimes and other attempted murders involving his brother George.

One of the Tanielian brothers. Image retrieved from Reddit.

The military court sentenced the brothers to death for their crimes. Considering the state of Lebanon’s justice system, it’s likely that they are still on death row to this day. There haven’t been any updates on the case since (or maybe we just couldn’t find a source).

We can’t imagine how these headlines must have looked like in 2011, but we’re sure this case shook the nation. Though we’re only used to seeing such crimes on TV, the reality of witnessing such violence up close must have been profoundly unsettling.

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