The Republic of the Outlaws

Alongside celebrated Lebanese film-maker Fatma Shehadeh, I spent much of my time in 2021-2025 producing The Republic of the Outlaws as a documentary film building on parts of my book Jihad in the City. Between the effects of the Covid pandemic on filming and the 2023 War in Gaza/Lebanon, getting the film out has been a challenging, but also an incredibly rewarding journey. Now Fatma and I are proud to say that Al-Jazeera has acquired the rights for The Republic of the Outlaws, and will broadcast our documentary on its channel in 2026. 

This is the trailer for our documentary, and here is the synopsis:

In 1974, on the eve of the Lebanese civil war, the northern city of Tripoli no longer looks like the prestigious and prosperous hub for Middle Eastern trade which it had been for centuries. Many of its most beautiful quarters are now a refuge for an increasingly impoverished population and insurgent groups start roaming the city, recruiting dozens of young men who are so disenfranchised by the state’s neglect that they are ready to rebel. Protest ideologies like Marxism or Islamism begin to spread in the slums of Tripoli. 

Enters a coalition of gangsters called “the Outlaws”. They’re a gang of criminals, not a rebel group, yet they start gaining attention by calling on the impoverished population to join their group in order to protest against the state and to create new power structures. Within a matter of months, hundreds of locals in Tripoli join the gang and, together, create the “Republic of the Outlaws” – a mini-criminal state with a president, ministers and soldiers. The Republic of the Outlaws broke away from Lebanon and became a criminal mini-state for nine months. 

This film tells the true story of the rise and fall of the Republic of the Outlaws. It is inspired by Raphaël Lefèvre’s award-winning book, Jihad In The City. It is based on more than a dozen filmed interviews with former officials in the Republic of the Outlaws who used to be criminals, as well as with older residents of Tripoli who recall this period of time, and a local sociologist who adds local and national context. It is also based on a trove of archives from Lebanese newspapers as well as footage both archival and contemporary of Tripoli. 

The Republic of the Outlaws existed between March and December 1974. This new state initially benefited Tripoli’s impoverished population which had now access to social services through the criminals stealing from the rich, and no longer paid taxes to the Lebanese state. But in time the top officials of the new Republic including the President and leader of the gang, Ahmed Qaddour, began to gain a reputation for corruption and violating morals – to the point of starting to run brothels in the main mosques of this fairly conservative city. 

The Outlaws, under growing fire from the local population, began to fight one another, which provided a window of opportunity for the Lebanese army to intervene and oust them from Tripoli. In a show of how strong the army of the Republic of the Outlaws still was, the battle was long and bloody, lasting three weeks, causing hundreds of fatalities and destroying much of Tripoli’s infrastructure – with architectural scars still visible today. In spite of the resonance it has with the growth of gangs today, this episode of Lebanese history remains little known outside of Tripoli and this documentary brings it to life. 

This film is not a purely local, if incredible story. It has universal appeal, as both a testament to organized crime’s many faces and a cautionary tale about the enduring appeal of gangsters across a world where rebellion is simmering, and also about their true nature. From the gangs ruling the favelas of Rio or villages in the Mexican countryside to those mingling with terrorists in the banlieues of Western capitals, this film sheds light on an important yet typically underestimated aspect of organized crime – its ability to embody a rebellion and to appeal to the most marginalized sectors of society, with devastating effects.