Conflicting Reports on Release of Taxi Driver by Abductors

Conflicting reports emerged on Wednesday over the release of taxi driver Joseph Issa al-Khawli, who was kidnapped last week, after the payment a sum of money to the abductors.

State-run National News Agency reported that the kidnappers of al-Khawli were paid $12,000.

The man was released in Deir Ammar region in northern Lebanon.

Al-Khawlli was kidnapped at dawn on April 3 at Dora.

However, later during the day the family of al-Khawli denied in comments to LBCI receiving any information on the matter.

The head of the General Syndicate of Lebanon's Taxi Drivers, Marwan Fayyad said that al-Khawli hails from the eastern town of Riyaq and resides in Ghazir, north of Beirut.

He said the abductee called his wife after the kidnapping to inform her that he was driving a man to Batroun after taking Syrians to the area of Ajaltoun.

But he failed to return home.

Later, an unknown man contacted his wife asking for a 50,000-dollar ransom to release him, Fayyad said.