Al-Meqdad clan’s
spokesman Maher al-Meqdad warned that the family’s military wing could resume
the kidnapping of Syrians after the Eid al-Fitr holiday if Hassan al-Meqdad was
not released by Syrian rebels.
In remarks to a TV
station, the spokesman said Monday: “The family took the decision to relieve
people during the Eid but we will relaunch our movement after the holidays.”
“The family will hold
consultations to take the appropriate decisions,” he warned.
The clan claimed on
Wednesday and Thursday to have captured around 20 Syrian nationals and a
Turkish man in retaliation for the seizure of their family member Hassan by
rebels in Syria last week.
But it later said it was
calling off "military operations" and would halt abductions for now.
The deadline ends on
Wednesday, the spokesman warned however.
“The Turkish abductee
will not be set free as long as Hassan al-Meqdad hasn’t been released,” Maher
said.
He reiterated that the
clan released Syrians who are not linked to the rebel Free Syrian Army.
On Monday, Syrian
Mohammed Adel al-Suleiman Mohammed, who was kidnapped Friday from the area of
Beshara al-Khoury in Beirut, was released for not having links to the FSA.
Mohammed is a human
rights activist. He pleaded the kidnappers of Hassan al-Meqdad through LBC TV
to set him free.
The wave of
hostage-taking prompted Gulf countries to call on all their citizens in Lebanon
to leave immediately. Sunni regional powerhouses Saudi Arabia and Qatar, who
back the Syrian rebels, were the first, followed by the United Arab Emirates,
Bahrain and Kuwait.
Asked about 11 other
Lebanese kidnapped by Syrian rebels since May 22, the spokesman said the clan’s
objective was to set Hassan al-Meqdad free.
“It’s not logical for us
to release the Turkish man if the 11 Lebanese were set free,” he said.
Another Turkish national
has also been kidnapped but it was not clear who was behind his abduction.
The 11 men were kidnapped
in the northern Syrian province of Aleppo on their way home from a pilgrimage
to Iran. Conflicting reports have emerged on their fate after Syrian government
forces shelled the area of Aazaz where they were being held.
But following talks with
Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu on Saturday, French FM Laurent Fabius
informed President Michel Suleiman and Speaker Nabih Berri in a telephone
conversation that the pilgrims are alive and doing well.http://www.naharnet.com/stories/en/50595
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