Report: Iraqi Gang behind Abduction of Two Saudis in Lebanon

Saudi ambassador to Lebanon Ali Awadh Asiri hailed efforts exerted by Lebanese officials to detain two members of an “Arab gang” that abducted two Saudi nationals on the outskirts of Beirut, the pan-Arab daily al-Hayat reported.

Asiri confirmed that the two Saudi nationals Tawfiq and Abdullah al-Shaqaqeen were kidnapped and tortured for eight days and are currently receiving medical treatment at the American University of Beirut Medical Center.

“Security services are still tracking down the remaining two members of the gang,” the ambassador told the daily.

According to security sources, an Iraqi woman received Tawfiq and Abdullah in Lebanon on April 16 as one of the two Saudis had met her during a previous visit to Syria a few months ago.

They moved to an apartment in Doha al-Hoss in southern Beirut, which the woman allegedly said she had rented for herself.

Later, three Iraqi men broke into the apartment claiming that they were members of the Internal Security Forces and tried to blackmail the two Saudi men by taking naked pictures for one of them and demanding a large ransom in exchange for their release.

The sources said that the two Saudis gave the gang at the beginning $5,000 and SR16,000 in cash but the head of the mob demanded more money so they transferred SR48,000 from their private bank accounts in addition to $16,000.

However, the kingpin threatened the two men to become “more violent” if they don’t provide him with more money, which made them call a “friend” in Saudi Arabia to urge him to transfer the money.

One of the kidnapped Saudis hinted to his friend in the telephone conversation that they were abducted. The friend swiftly contacted Saudi authorities to inform them about the case.

Al-Hayat reported that two members of the gang were arrested when they were taken by surprise near Audi Bank in Beirut’s Hamra Street, where they went to collect the money.

The two confessed to their crime, while the remaining members of the mob fled to an unknown location.

According to preliminary reports, the abductors have no political backgrounds and the two Saudi men were lured and tricked by the assailants.

Security forces are tracking down the head of the gang and the woman, al-Hayat said

The ambassador urged on Wednesday all Saudis in Lebanon to stay "only in well-known hotels and stay away from private apartments," and called on visitors to register with the embassy upon their arrival in Beirut.

He also warned Saudis to stay away from Lebanon's border areas.