Arsal Man Kidnapped En Route to Baalbek, Abductors Demand $100K

A man who hails from the Bekaa border town of Arsal was abducted Wednesday while on his way to the city of Baalbek, state-run National News Agency reported.

“Unknown individuals kidnapped Arsal resident Mohammed Shehadeh al-Hujeiri from his pickup truck as he was moving from the town to the popular market in the city of Baalbek,” NNA said.

The captors then telephoned his family and asked for a $100,000 ransom, the agency added.

Kidnap operations are common in the northern Bekaa region but the development comes amid an unprecedented security plan that the army has been implementing in the area since several weeks.

Troops have managed to arrest fugitives wanted over kidnap and theft operations as well as others involved in car bomb attacks.

Y.R.

S.D.B.