Lebanese military personnel found the body of American journalist John Redwine in a mountain ravine, the U.S. State Department confirmed today, but though Redwine is believed to have been hiking in the region, neither U.S. nor Lebanese officials know yet whether he had been murdered or died in an accident.
The State Department could not say if there was “any terrorist act” behind Redwine’s death. “I can’t speak to that at this moment,” said spokeswoman Victoria Nuland. She noted that “the Lebanese Government is investigating. We would refer you to them for information about the investigation.”
The American citizen’s “body was taken to Hotel Dieu hospital in Beirut,” a Lebanese Red Cross official told The Daily Star, “adding that it looked like Redwine had suffered a blow to the back of his head.”
Redwine, the son of an Iowan state senator, is survived by a wife and two-month-old son.
