Abducted Palestinian Released for $100,000 Ransom

A Palestinian man who was kidnapped a week ago in the Bekaa's district of Baalbek was freed on Wednesday after the payment of a huge ransom.

"Palestinian Mohammed Jaber, who was abducted last week in Khreibe (in the eastern city of Baalbek), has been released after the payment of a ransom,” al-Jadeed television reported.

LBCI television noted that the paid ransom mounted to USD100,000.

The state-run National News Agency announced last week that the Lebanese army had apprehended a man over the kidnapping of Jaber.

An army unit raided the town of Brital and detained a man identified as Aa. Q. T. on the suspicion of being linked to the abduction of Jaber, the NNA said on Thursday.

On Monday, unidentified gunmen abducted three people on al-Hillaniyeh road in the Bekaa and then took them to an unknown destination.

And last week, gunmen abducted an engineer who hails from the Bekaa town of al-Labweh and took him away to the Arsal plains.

Citizen Joseph Emile Bashaalani on July 8 escaped a kidnapping attempt after unknown assailants opened fire at his pickup truck in the Arsal region. Bashaalani received 10 gunshots during the kidnapping attempt.

These kidnappings come as army troops and security forces have been implementing a security plan in the Bekaa, the North and Beirut.

The plan has been successful in arresting several leaders of kidnapping rings.

S.D.B.

Y.R.