Rifi Says Ringleader is Wael Abbas as ISF Makes More Arrests in Kidnapping Case
The father and brother of Wael Abbas, the alleged leader of the group that kidnapped seven Estonian tourists in the Bekaa Valley last week, are in the custody of the Internal Security Forces, ISF chief Maj. Gen. Ashraf Rifi said.
Earlier, the media had identified the ringleader as Darwish Khanjar.
Rifi confirmed to al-Liwaa daily in remarks published Thursday that the ring was made up of six or seven members and that four of them have been arrested so far.
High-ranking security sources told An Nahar newspaper however that more than seven people, including the four men who have been involved in the kidnapping, were in police custody.
The four are allegedly unaware of the whereabouts of the Estonian cyclists, the sources said. A white van used by the group to kidnap the tourists was found on the outskirts of the town of Majdal Anjar on Wednesday, they added.
Voice of Lebanon radio station said Thursday that the ISF’s Intelligence Bureau arrested Mohammed Hashisho in Kamed al-Lawz in the Western Bekaa for his suspected ties to the kidnappers.
It added that police also found a Mercedes used in the abduction operation.
Rifi told al-Liwaa that he thanked Majdal Anjar residents for their cooperation with the ISF and stressed that they shouldn’t feel targeted in the operation aimed at finding the Estonians.
He urged the kidnappers to surrender and hand over their hostages.
“We won’t allow Lebanon’s security to be targeted,” Rifi said, stressing that the ISF and the Lebanese army had a strong grip cable of sending a “painful” message to outlaws.
Meanwhile, an obscure group has claimed the kidnapping of the seven Estonians by sending an email to a local website along with copies of the ID cards of three of those abducted, the website said.
The group, Haraket El Nahda Wal Islah (the movement for renewal and reform) said it would make known its demands at a later time.
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