Report: Army Will Arrest Maher al-Meqdad as Turkish Captive Remains Missing
The Turkish national who was kidnapped by al-Meqdad clan's military wing is till missing, reported An Nahar daily on Saturday.
A military source denied to the daily that the army had located the national who managed to escape his captors on Monday when the army arrested the brother of the head of al-Meqdad family association in the southern Beirut suburb of al-Rowais.
The source added that the army arrested Hasan al-Meqdad according to an arrest warrant and that it is seeking to arrest his brother Maher, the head of the family association.
It is also seeking to carry out raids in various regions in Lebanon to arrest wanted suspects on different charges, the army announced in a statement on Friday.
Investigations ares underway with the Hasan al-Meqdad and a number of other detainees in order to determine the Turkish national's location, it added.
On Friday, Maher al-Meqdad told LBCI television that he is “not responsible for the fate of the Turkish captive” anymore.
"The Turkish abductee disappeared during the clash in al-Rowais and he is not in our custody anymore and we're currently searching for him," he said.
"A third party interfered and opened fire at the army," he added.
Citing unconfirmed reports, Future TV said "the Turkish national abducted by al-Meqdad clan has been liberated."
For its part, Turkey's state news agency said “the Turkish captive has been reportedly liberated in a security operation by the Lebanese army.”
But al-Jadeed TV quoted a military source as saying that “the army arrested Hasan al-Meqdad on an arrest warrant and it did not liberate any of the hostages.”
Maher al-Meqdad rose to fame during the counter-kidnappings staged by the clan’s “military wing” over the abduction of a family member near Damascus. He acted as the clan’s spokesman during that period.
The clan has claimed responsibility for the abduction of more than 20 Syrians and a Turkish national in Lebanon in retaliation to the abduction of Hassan al-Meqdad in Syria on August 11.
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