Middle East News

Two arrests in kidnapping of Estonian cyclists in Lebanon

Mar 29, 2011, 13:08 GMT

Beirut - Two people were arrested Tuesday in Lebanon over the kidnapping last week of a group of seven Estonian cyclists in the Bekaa valley, a Lebanese security source told the German press agency dpa.

The pair arrested named two Lebanese and three Syrians as behind the abduction, in a case which has seen the Estonian foreign minister intervene to press the plight of the missing citizens.

'Arresting two people earlier led us to clearly identify the culprits - who are five, two Lebanese and three Syrians' the source said without elaborating.

The seven Estonian citizens were kidnapped near the town of Zahle in the Bekaa Valley on March 23, shortly after crossing the border from Syria.

There was still no information on the fate of the missing cyclists, the source added.

Earlier, a clash broke out in eastern Lebanon Tuesday between security forces and suspects near the Lebanese-Syrian border, in which one member of the security forces was injured.

Estonian Foreign Minister Urmas Paet discussed the ongoing investigation with Lebanese officials on a visit to Beirut on Monday.

Investigators are focusing on the possible involvement of hardline Palestinian groups, which are loyal to the Libyan regime and maintain bases in eastern Lebanon.

Read more about Estonia

Read more about Lebanon Crime