Two Saudis abducted in Beirut freed

Lebanese security forces have freed two Saudi nationals kidnapped and tortured for eight days in an apartment on the outskirts of Beirut, the kingdom’s official SPA news agency reported Wednesday. Citing Saudi’s ambassador to Lebanon, Ali bin Saeed al-Asiri, the report said Tawfiq and Abdullah al-Shaqaqeen, were “lured and tricked by a gang loyal to an Arab state,” which “held and tortured them for eight days,” adding that the kidnappers demanded a “large ransom” in exchange for their release. The two kidnap victims were rescued by Lebanese security forces who worked “in conjunction” with the Saudi embassy in Beirut, said the diplomat, adding that both men are currently receiving medical treatment at the American hospital in the Lebanese capital. The report did not specify when the Saudi nationals were rescued, but Asiri confirmed that at least two kidnappers were arrested while the search for the remaining “members of the gang continues.” The ambassador urged 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 arrival in Beirut. He also warned Saudis to stay away from Lebanon’s border areas. The report did not say specify which Arab country the so-called gang was from, but Lebanon shares a tense border with Syria, where Saudi Arabia has called for arming rebels fighting to topple President Bashar al-Assad. Lebanon is also home to the Shiite militant group Hezbollah, a strong supporter of Assad’s regime.