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The family of Amer Fakhoury has spent the past four years pursuing justice and seeking accountability for his death after he passed away from stage 4 cancer in 2020, months after he was freed from prison in Lebanon.
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Now, his four daughters are giving a first-hand account of his detainment and the harrowing rescue operation to bring him back home to the United States in a soon-to-be-released book, “Silenced in Beirut: American Businessman Amer Fakhour’s Six-Month Ordeal as a Hostage In Lebanon.”
Guila and Zoya Fakhoury spoke with Fox News Digital about the book ahead of its release on Sept. 12, the fifth-year anniversary of their father’s detainment in Beirut by the General Directorate of General Security, Lebanon’s government intelligence agency.
New Hampshire family wants justice from Iran for their late father’s illegal imprisonment in Lebanon.(Fakhoury Family)
“We wanted this book to just capture the injustice he faced, who was involved in his illegal detention, who are the big players [and] what the U.S. government did to bring him back home,” said Zoya.
“This story is very significant, because you actually get to see firsthand what Hezbollah is doing in Lebanon and what it’s doing to its people and how America is a part of that as well.”
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Fakhoury returned to his native Lebanon with his wife, Micheline, for the first time in nearly 20 years to see family but was detained soon after his arrival amid allegations from a Hezbollah-backed newspaper that he was the “Butcher of Khiam,” who tortured prisoners at the now defunct prison in the 1990s.
Hezbollah members salute and raise the group’s yellow flags during the funeral of fallen fighters who were killed in an Israeli strike on their vehicles, in Shehabiya in south Lebanon on April 17.(AFP via Getty Images)
The Fakhoury family vehemently denied the claims, saying their father only worked as a logistics officer with the South Lebanon Army (SLA), a Christian-dominated, Israeli-backed militia that was disbanded after Israel withdrew from the country in 2000.
Fakhoury fled Lebanon after receiving threats from Hezbollah after the SLA collapsed, staying in Nahariya, a seaside city in Israel close to the Lebanese border, for a few months before immigrating to the United States.
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His family says the Lebanese government published a list in 2016 indicating that Fakhoury had no outstanding charges prior to his 2019 detainment, and a 2018 amnesty placed their father on a list of SLA members not associated with running Khiam prison.
While Fakhoury was detained in Beirut, he was forced to sign a paper saying he held Israeli citizenship and was an Israeli spy, both baseless accusations, according to his family.
Amer Fakhoury immigrated to the United States in the early 2000s after fleeing Lebanon.
Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., who worked closely with the family, said in a 2020 press release that a Lebanese military court had charged Fakhoury with “unsubstantiated crimes that carry a punishment of death without producing any material evidence to back these allegations.”
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The Dover, N.H., restaurant owner was beaten, tortured and forced to stay in unsanitary conditions with no sunlight or toilet, according to his family. They believe he acquired lymphoma from the Epstein-Barr virus, which he likely obtained from poor prison conditions.
“We really wanted to honor [Amer’s] legacy and to tell the world about this amazing father, great husband, and what happened to him was not fair. And someone needs to be held accountable,” said Guila.
“We lost our father, my kids cannot see their granddad, my mom, you know, he was her soulmate, 37 years of marriage. So, we lost a great man, and to this day, we don’t have accountability. So through this book, we want everyone to read his story, read about him, read about what happened to him.”
The Fakhoury family fled Lebanon as Hezbollah took over. They detail the detainment of their father, Amer, while on a family vacation in his native country in 2019.((Fox News Digital/ Fakhoury Family))
Guila added that her father advocated for democracy in Lebanon, spoke out against Hezbollah and was active in the Republican Party.
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“He was an American citizen. He was an advocate. He was in the Republican Party. He had pictures on his Facebook, [he was] close to politics in America. . . . I think this is the reason why they illegally detained him and put all these charges on him, knowing that none of it is true,” she told Fox News Digital.
“I do think, touching on his nervousness, at the end of the day, as much reassurance you can get from a government, I think deep down, he knew that Hezbollah was still in Lebanon, and I think that was his fear because he always. . . . You hear stories of Hezbollah being involved in kidnap cases. So, I think that was always in the back of his mind,” said Zoya.
The New York Times reported that Trump administration officials believed that Fakhoury’s arrest was directed by Hezbollah.
Former President Trump and his administration helped secure the release of New Hampshire businessman Amer Fakhoury. The two met several years before that at a Trump campaign event in the New Hampshire area. (Fakhoury Family)
Fakhoury was evacuated from the rooftop of the U.S. Embassy in Lebanon on a U.S. Air Force V-22 Osprey after Senator Shaheen and Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, proposed bipartisan sanctions against Lebanese officials involved in the detention of U.S. citizens.
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Seven months after his initial detainment and 75 pounds lighter, Fakhoury returned home and was treated at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, where he passed away five months later.
“What we’re still lacking [from] our U.S. government is accountability. So, unfortunately, it’s been four years that we’ve [been] trying to hold accountable Lebanese officials and the Lebanese government for the killing of an American citizen,” Guila told Fox News Digital.
Guila (right) and Zoya (left) Fakhoury open up about the death and detainment of their father, Amer.
“It’s been a very difficult journey. I think we’re blessed to have our family, honestly, because that’s where we both — we all get energy from each other. When one of us is feeling down, we feed off one another’s energy. And I think that’s what kept us going strong, because we didn’t really have a mourning period, to be honest with you, the minute my father died, we wanted to get to work, because we know the magnitude of his case,” said Zoya. “We know what he endured and just the injustice he faced.”
The Fakhourys started the Amer Fakhoury Foundation in honor of the late patriarch to advocate for the families of other detained Americans, seek accountability from foreign governments involved in the detention of U.S. citizens and pursue policy changes.
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The book is available on the foundation’s website.
Three people suffered injuries in a two-vehicle collision early Tuesday morning in Hooksett, New Hampshire.Courtesy of New Hampshore State
Three people suffered serious injuries Tuesday in a two-vehicle crash in Hooksett, N.H., police said.
The head-on collision happened around 5:40 a.m. on Interstate 293 northbound, State Police said.
Police said that Timothy Hubbard, 43, of Rome, Maine, was traveling south when he lost control of his car and crossed the median into oncoming traffic, police said.
Hubbard, his passenger, and the other driver were taken to hospitals to be treated for serious injuries, police said. The injures were not believed to be life-threatening.
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Police said speed was believed to be a factor in the crash, which is under investigation.
Hannah Goeke can be reached at hannah.goeke@globe.com.
Franklin, NH – Sara Jane (Sanford) Doherty, 79, of Franklin, New Hampshire, passed away peacefully at her home on June 11, 2026. A beloved wife, mother, grandmother, and friend, Sara was born on June 5, 1947, in Hanover, New Hampshire, to Harold and Sadie (Pettengill) Sanford.
As the daughter of a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers employee, Sara spent her childhood moving throughout New England, living in New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and Connecticut. She graduated from high school in Hudson, Massachusetts, and later returned to New Hampshire, eventually settling in Franklin, where she made her home for more than forty years.
Sara built a successful career in the textile industry. She worked as a seamstress at Howland Originals before joining Star Specialty Knitting, where she began as a stitcher and, through hard work and determination, advanced to Plant Manager. She retired in 2003, and one of the greatest joys of her retirement was caring for several of her grandchildren, whom she adored.
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Sara was a remarkably talented and creative artisan. She sewed clothing for her children when they were young and later created outfits for her grandchildren and their dolls. She was a gifted painter and artist whose extraordinary drawings and paintings brought joy to those around her. An accomplished seamstress, knitter, crocheter, cake decorator, and musician, Sara had an exceptional ability to create beauty in many forms. Her handmade gifts and treasured creations will be cherished by her family for generations to come.
Her talent for cake decorating blossomed into a successful side business that spanned more than thirty years. Sara created hundreds of stunning and imaginative cakes, including wedding and birthday cakes for her own children and grandchildren. Her passion for baking was so well known that for many years her license plate proudly read “CAKES+.”
Sara also had a remarkable gift for bringing people together. She hosted countless family reunions, each one more creative than the last. With elaborate themes, games, prizes, delicious food, and endless laughter, she created memories that her family will treasure forever. She was also known for her generous holiday gatherings, often welcoming more than thirty family members and friends into her home for Thanksgiving and Christmas celebrations. Summers brought cherished Fourth of July cookouts by Webster Lake, where Sara delighted in decorating the waterfront and gathering loved ones to enjoy the annual boat parade.
Sara’s love of giraffes was known by all who knew her. She spent years collecting hundreds of them, giving each a special “G” name. Before her passing, she shared one of her favorites, “Geebri,” with her granddaughter Sydni, who is expecting Sara’s first great-grandchild.
Her warmth, creativity, generosity, and love of family touched everyone who knew her. To say she will be missed is a vast understatement. She was truly the heart of her family.
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Sara leaves behind her devoted husband of 43 years, Joel Doherty; her sons, Todd (Michelle) Chapman of Sanbornton, New Hampshire, and Paul (Cheryl) Chapman of Northfield, New Hampshire; her stepdaughters, Ali (Oliver) Frates of Amherst, New Hampshire, and Kate Hodge of Durham, New Hampshire; and her beloved grandchildren, Shelby, Sydni, Morgan, Owen, Duncan, Calum, Macy, and Elyse, and Step-grandchildren, Matthew, Jennifer, Eric, & Kevin.
Sara was predeceased by her parents.
Sara’s family would like to express their heartfelt thanks to Franklin VNA for their rapid and seamless response in setting up hospice, and to The Payson Center for their dedication and care, which gave us more precious time with her.
A graveside service will be held on Tuesday, June 30, 2026 at 11:00 AM in Franklin Cemetery, Thompson Park in Franklin.
For more information or to leave the family an online condolence, please visit www.smartmemorialhome.com.
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Click here to sign the guest book or honor their memory with flowers, donations, or other heartfelt tributes
A staple of many New Hampshire town fairs, the pig scramble may soon look a little different.
A bill signed into law by Gov. Kelly Ayotte last week requires the commissioner of the state Department of Agriculture to create best practices for any event in which people compete to capture a pig. Those guidelines will be published before the 2027 fair season, so they won’t be in place for any fairs with pig scrambles this year, such as the upcoming Deerfield Fair in the fall.
Generally, a pig scramble involves people of the same age competing to capture pigs that have been let loose in a large pen. Contestants have to catch the pig in a drawstring bag, and the first one to do so can take the pig home.
Rep. Cathryn Harvey, a Democrat from Spofford, is the prime sponsor of the bill. She said each fair has different rules for their pig scrambles, meaning some can be more humane than others. One aspect of the events she hopes will change is the bags pigs are captured in.
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“They’re putting an animal in a plastic bag on a hot summer day,” Harvey said. “It isn’t a great idea.”
Although some fairs already use more breathable bags out of burlap, Joan O’Brien, president of the New Hampshire Animal Rights League, said she’s also seen pigs being kept in plastic bags for long periods of time after the event. Not only would a burlap bag improve the pig’s ability to breathe in the heat, she said, but she also wants fairs to require participants to bring an animal carrier for the trip home. Her organization was ultimately in favor of the legislation.
“If you don’t have a carrier, you should not be allowed to leave your pig lying in a bag,” O’Brien said, adding that some fairs already ask contestants to bring carriers. “You should be taking them right home.”
The Deerfield Fair has implemented another rule that O’Brien and Harvey hope becomes part of statewide best practices — having parents supervise their child in the pen. O’Brien once witnessed a child hang a pig upside down by its legs and then lower it headfirst into the bag.
“In the heat of the moment, the kids get excited and they just do whatever it takes to get the pig in the bag,” O’Brien said. She said parents should work with the event referee to make sure their kid is handling the pig humanely.
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Harvey’s bill originally called for pig scrambles to be banned around the state, but both she and O’Brien feel that universal guidelines for fairs would still make the experience better for the animals. Even seemingly small things, Harvey said, like giving the pigs water after the scramble, would be an improvement to the current situation for them.
“I think that the bill will embolden people to speak up at these events,” O’Brien said. “If they think a pig is being mistreated, they’ll be able to say to themselves, ‘I know that there’s supposed to be a rule, so I’m going to say something.’ So I think that would be a good outcome.”
