Report: 11 Pilgrims Abducted over Assumption Nasrallah's Son Was with Them
The son of Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah was the target of the abduction of the 11 Lebanese pilgrims in Syria in May, reported Ad Diyar daily on Tuesday.
He was thought to be on the bus carrying the Lebanese back from a pilgrimage in Iran, Syrian opposition sources told the daily.
The men were on their way back from a pilgrimage in Iran when gunmen intercepted their buses in the northern Syrian province of Aleppo.
According to the sources who spoke on condition of anonymity, Nasrallah's son was thought to be on the bus with a fake identity card and the captors demanded an apology on Nasrallah's part in return for his release.
Turkish intelligence stepped in the investigation upon Iran's request, the sources added, and assured that the son of the Hizbullah leader was not on the bus.
Eleven Lebanese pilgrims were kidnapped by the rebel Free Syrian Army in the northern province of Aleppo on May 22 as they were returning home from Iran.
One abductee was released in August in what his captors said was a “goodwill” gesture and another was released in September.
The kidnappers had repeatedly linked the release of the Lebanese captives to Nasrallah, a close ally of the Syrian regime, apologizing over his stances on the Syrian revolt.
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