BEIRUT, Lebanon - Lebanese musician and composer Osama Rahbani escaped a kidnapping attempt on Wednesday at dawn when three gunmen tracked him as we was parking his car outside his house in Antelias, northeastern Beirut and forced him to get into their car.

But Rahbani refused and resisted the kidnappers, who then stole his car – an Infinity Four-Wheel Drive – and left the scene out of fear Rahbani’s yelling could wake the neighbors, according to AAn-Nahar and others on Thursday.

“They were three…The moments were difficult, it was scary,” Rahbani was quoted as saying.

“I did not know whether they wanted to shoot me or not,” he added.

Asked whether he believes the incident was a robbery or a message directed to him, Rahbani replied: “I don’t know. I defended myself as if I was being kidnapped. This was what I felt then, and I resisted.” He added that he has never received any threat or intimidation message from any party before.

“I focus on my music, but from now on I will hire a bodyguard with a Klashinkov, and whoever thinks can attack me, I will tell my bodyguard to shoot him as simple as that.” Rahbani said angrily.

“I have to be tough because the authorities cannot defend me. Unfortunately, it is not providing me with security and from now on I will not stop at any security checkpoint,” he added.

Rahbani said that when his father’s car was stolen back in 1997, the slain former chief of Syrian military intelligence in Lebanon, Ghazi Kanaan, restored the car in 24 hours.

Rahbani revealed that following the incidents he contacted the security forces, army intelligence, general security and all of the colonels and brigadier generals he knows.

According to Rahbani, the government should work on devising a security policy for the country instead of ensuring security of the politicians.

“They are not interested except in silly political issues. Tomorrow [today] they will discuss ridiculous issues at the roundtable dialogue and won’t achieve a result at a time when the country is in disorder,” Rahbani said.

According to Voice of Lebanon (VOL) radio Thursday morning, Rahbani’s attackers have been identified. No further details were given.