Father of Syria Deputy FM Freed

The elderly father of Syrian Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal Muqdad was freed on Thursday, nearly three weeks after his abduction by gunmen, a security source told Agence France Presse on condition of anonymity.

Muqdad's "father was released at 7:00 pm (1600 GMT), near his home in the province of Daraa" in southern Syria, the source said.

The 84-year-old's abduction on May 18 was staged apparently in reprisal for the arrest of a relative of one of the kidnappers.

There was no claim of responsibility for the abduction.

Muqdad senior was beaten in front of his family by his kidnappers on the day he was abducted.

Daraa province is the cradle of the uprising that broke out against President Bashar Assad's rule in March 2011.

Muqdad is considered as one of the most powerful voices in the Assad regime.