Freed Lebanese Pilgrims Arrive in Beirut, Turkish Pilots Released
إقرأ هذا الخبر بالعربية
A plane carrying the nine freed Lebanese pilgrims and General Security chief Maj. Gen. Abbas Ibrahim on Saturday landed in Beirut around 10:35 p.m. after a brief delay at the airport in Turkey over logistical reasons, state-run National News Agency reported.
Earlier on Saturday, a Qatari plane carrying two Turkish pilots abducted in August in Lebanon took off from Beirut's airport, carrying the freed men home, as part of a swap deal also involving Syrian women prisoners.
A Lebanese military helicopter flew the two pilots from the Riyaq airport in the Bekaa to Beirut's airport.
"The freed pilgrims are in my custody and there are no obstacles and the takeoff of the plane has been delayed over some logistical reasons," Ibrahim told al-Jadeed television earlier, after several media reports said that the plane had already taken off.
"The two Turkish pilots are now in the custody of the Lebanese General Security and are on their way to Beirut's airport" after they were freed by their abductors, NNA reported earlier on Saturday.
Turkey's state news agency also confirmed the release of the pilots.
Caretaker Interior Minister Marwan Charbel, caretaker Foreign Minister Adnan Mansour, several MPs and the families of the nine pilgrims received the freed men at Beirut's airport.
Representatives of caretaker Prime Minister Najib Miqati, Prime Minister-designate Tammam Salam and ex-PMs Saad Hariri and Fouad Saniora were also at the airport, according to NNA.
Several media reports said Gen. Ibrahim and Qatar's Foreign Minister Khaled al-Attiya were on the same plane with the nine men.
The Syrian regime's handing over of a number of women prisoners to mediators, which was the abductors' main demand, led to finalizing the swap deal, LBCI television reported.
In remarks to al-Jadeed, Syrian MP Sharif Shahadeh confirmed the release of the Syrian women.
Eleven Lebanese pilgrims were kidnapped in Syria's Aleppo region in May 2012 as they were making their way back to Lebanon by land from pilgrimage in Iran. Two of them were released in late 2012.
The abductors, the rebel Northern Storm Brigade, had demanded the release of 282 women detainees from Syrian prisons in return for the nine remaining men.
On August 9, gunmen abducted two Turkish pilots after ambushing a bus carrying Turkish Airlines crew from Rafik Hariri International Airport to a hotel in Beirut.
The families of the Lebanese abductees had accused Turkey of being behind the kidnapping. They, however, have denied any involvement in the abduction of the Turkish pilots.
“The release of the pilots and the women from Syrian prisons are part of the deal to free the nine men,” Minister Charbel said in remarks to As Safir newspaper.
A previously unknown group calling itself Zuwwar Imam al-Rida claimed the abduction, and demanded that Turkey use its influence with Syrian rebels it backs to secure the release of the nine pilgrims.
Lebanese authorities have since arrested three suspects and charged them in connection with the pilots' abduction.
19 October 2013, 18:19
2722
The Legend, the Myth, the Phenom, the Negotiator, the Man, The Shia Chief of the General Security, Major General Abbas Ibrahim. You have become an icon for the oppressed and a shrine is under construction in your image where thousands of faithful Shia Lebanese, Iranians, and Iraqis will flog to pay their respects to you. You have shown beyond shadow of a doubt that patriotism and professionalism transcend narrow sectarian imaginary lines to encompass total national unity. Your negotiations with a wanted syrian intelligence criminal and your sleepless nights on board over-crowded passenger jets and in run-down hotels across the globe culminated in the release of our sorely missed beloved Shia pilgrims. Men like you are but a few...... !
19 October 2013, 22:09
1919
My question is how the kidnappers of the Turkish pilots got the news? I mean how were they contacted? I doubt there is a "Turkish kidnappers" listing in the phone book or a turkishkidnappers@wedoitright.com email address.
Who delivered them to the airport in Baalbek? And why were they not arrested?
And some still deny that some people control this govt and country.
19 October 2013, 18:32
2119
Contrasting occasions: at Biel celebrating the memory of a fallen statesman and a true patriot, at the airport celebrating the achievements of a sectarian thug.
19 October 2013, 18:42
2718
"somehow Qatar was responsible of their kidnapping" any evidence or just pure assumption?
you seem unhappy that qatar help the release, you would have prefered iran? LOL
anyway , since this news you seem very ill at ease that qatar helped... funny reading you!!!
19 October 2013, 22:59
212
Southern: When people manage to pull off a good job, of course they would be tempted to make a "big fuss" about it. Hizb still try to push it in our faces all about May 2000 and the South of Lebanon. So now that Qatar is doing the same, why are you suddenly having a problem?
But political differences aside for this one moment, I join you in celebration that our countrymen are safe and sound, no matter who helped. Bsi77it el tis3a w bsi7tak ya akhi 'l Libnéné ya Southern!
19 October 2013, 20:14
1724
and you primesuspect are an idiot for posting such an idiotic accusation.
19 October 2013, 19:52
2616
Probably his cousins or brothers in law....
This abbas ibrahim is a problem 4 the nation.
19 October 2013, 20:24
1623
It is sad that it had to take the abduction of these two pilots in order to facilitate the release of the Lebanese but by the looks of things it had to be done otherwise the kidnappers of the Lebanese along with their backers would still be ignoring the Lebanese government's plea for their release.
20 October 2013, 00:58
1013
anymore adjectives you care to add to describe your fellow Lebanese.
20 October 2013, 10:08
38
Primesuspect. Do you ever have anything smart to say? And what are you? Certainly not lebanese. Your latino. So be quiet. Your a nobody who doesnt even wanna live in lebanon yet have the nerve to come decide who is lebanese and who isent.
19 October 2013, 22:10
2019
All Hail the Emperor ! What impresses me the most about you, your Imperial Majesty, is you personify a moderate Sunni's point of view in your relentless support of our glorious shia but non-sectarian resistance and the Pan Arab stead-fast Syrian regime. You are a genuine example of how a true Sunni should be in defending our divine resistance and its various patriotic stands on regional and local issues. As long as people like you exist, post here, and educate the ignorant I rest confident in the ability of this nation to rise above the inter galactic conspiracies that are being woven against it. May God Bless your Ethiopian soul and your nationalistic leanings that transcend sectarianism and bridge the artificial Sunni-Shia boundaries imposed by the Zionist-American-Takfiri Alliances. Your tireless approach, drive, and support for inter-faith dialogue makes many of us believe in the future of our country. Thank you you Majesty for your Imperial civilized contributions to humanity.
19 October 2013, 22:19
1914
Southern I see you used Google's translation to convert the original Farsi to English.
Someone should tell Google based on this their Farsi to English translator is really turning Farsi to gibberish.
19 October 2013, 22:22
1915
Haile.sassie you are a despicable specimen of a creature; rude, ignorant, and repulsive! What happened to your fake PHD? Did they ever teach you some manners in Dahiyeh University for Thugs?
19 October 2013, 22:44
179
Watch the Skies erupt in gunfire over Dahiyeh, Baalbeck, and southern's village once these heroes land at the airport. Mickey Mouse state ruled and administered by outlaws.
19 October 2013, 22:51
1812
For once I agree with Southern, neither Qatar nor anyone else can buy HA because it's not an independent entity it's a branch office of the Iranian revolutionary guards that they set up after they decided to expand their business into Lebanon. So they bought off HA a bunch of Amal officials like Hassan Nastallah and Abbas al-Musawi with promises of easy money and here we are, previous Amal offices now under new management as "the Islamic revolution in Lebanon".
19 October 2013, 22:52
129
So glad to hear that terrorists negotiating with terrorists brings about a happy ending. Who knows, after this precedent, perhaps if Iran and Israel negotiate, the Palestinians would be better off... Who needs democracy or humanity when you have abductions and terrorism?
19 October 2013, 23:22
80
hizboullah+terrorism if any hizboullah member come to turkey he will live problem in the passaport and only can fix in the when he was in turkish jail : )
19 October 2013, 23:25
1610
Freed pilgrim Abbas Shoaib from Beirut airport: I was accused of being a top Hizbullah commander. I'm not a member of Hizbullah, but from now on I consider myself to be a soldier of Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah.
You were a member of HA and you will always be! They should have executed the lot of you. Thugs and criminals.
20 October 2013, 00:00
158
have you noticed how big the syrian flags were and how small the lebanese ones :)
20 October 2013, 00:27
1013
Is it just me or are the Al Qaeda sympathizers in Lebanon actually upset that the pilgrims were freed?
20 October 2013, 00:53
1410
there are NO alqaeda sympathizers here better look elsewhere ;) ...
20 October 2013, 00:58
146
I hope the rebels will no longer take prisoners.... After seeing these pilgrims mercenaries reaction they didn't deserve 2 get freed. I know it's rude, but it's my sentiment 2day. Thank god I don't live in Lebanon surrounded by such lowlives.
20 October 2013, 02:18
812
why does naharnet even entertain garbage posted by prime and gabby on this site.
20 October 2013, 05:27
52
Southern,
When Rafik Hariri legitimized the resistance internationally everyone initially appreciated this achievement. But Qatar wanted a price for that legitimacy and worked on getting Syria out of Lebanon, so HA had to blow him up.
20 October 2013, 13:43
81
yes you are anti sunni.... proof? you never condemn the shelling of sunnis in akkar... the first words one of the chias liberated yesterday was "death to the sunnis" before the mike was unplugged!!!
chia close to hezbis say that the sunnis are 'impure".... proof? i heard it from my own ears in dahiye....
i heard it from close friends in the bekaa during 2006 war: shias didn't want to eat meat from a sunni village that welcomed them because the meat was "impure"...
chias didn't want any of the hariri help because it came from hariri...
so FT educate yourself ok? useless microbe....
20 October 2013, 14:07
82
poor FT, i know what i heard and saw.. you cannot say the same thing as you take your infos from OTV and elmanar.... but you know NOTHING about lebanon....
20 October 2013, 16:20
00
Do they really need to slaughter a lamb for that.....what kind of country r u...
20 October 2013, 17:55
21
FT.
HA is with the palestinians not because they are prosunni. But because they are pro-chaos and anti-state. HA thrives on CHAOS. And palestinians are a big source of chaos and a big underminer of the state.
