'Abducted' Saudi 'Turns Himself in' to Army after Arriving from Syria

Saudi citizen Ali al-Bashrawi turned himself in to a Lebanese Army checkpoint in the Hermel area of Jisr Hawsh al-Sayyed Ali, an army statement said.

Bashrawi turned himself in after entering into Lebanon from Syria, the army added.

“A probe has since been launched under the supervision of the relevant judicial authorities,” the military said.

Media reports said al-Bashrawi had been kidnapped Friday in the Keserwan region.

“After dropping his wife off at their house in Adma on Thursday evening, Saudi citizen Ali Abdul Nabi al-Bashrawi parked his Saudi-plate, white BMW at the Tabarja roundabout before being kidnapped at the hands of unknown individuals from a nearby area,” LBCI television reported.

The TV network said Bashrawi, 34, “belongs to the Shiite sect and is married to a Syrian woman.”

“He called his wife on Friday, saying that the captors are demanding $1.5 million in return for goods that he had bought from them,” LBCI added.

Quoting probe sources, the TV network said the case was likely linked to drug trade.

The incident came on the same day that Saudi Arabia ordered its citizens to leave Lebanon immediately amid skyrocketing tensions with Iran and Hizbullah and warnings to the Lebanese government.

Interior Minister Nouhad al-Mashnouq has issued a statement saying “the safety and security of resident and visiting Saudi citizens, as well as all Arab and foreign residents, is a priority for all Lebanese authorities.”