Wüstenschiff

“But it is the right of the Lebanese to know who kidnapped the Estonians and why. And how were they released. And who carried out the raids against the abductors. What was the price of the release and what are the political and regional motives that were behind the kidnapping and release of the Estonians?”

Quelle: Opposition claims Lebanon sidelined in Estonians release - Daily Star, 16.07.2011

One of the released said that the 7 perpetrators of the abduction took them to 3 different secret locations in Lebanon and Syria.

Quelle: Estonians abducted in Lebanon were also kept in Syria - Alsumaria, 16.07.2011

Gruß
Birgitt

Nach einer Schrecksekunde feiern sich die Franzosen:
Artikel in LePoint

Kurzfassung: Die DGSE war ganz toll, die Esten bedanken sich, am Schluss eine Auflistung von noch verschleppten Franzosen.

Grüsse,
Peter

Lebanon Shoulders Hunt for Kidnappers After Death of Officer
20.07.2011 - ERR

Information on the aftermath of the Estonian cyclist hostage drama in Lebanon is scant because it is an ongoing investigation. ERR radio reported that while the Estonians are safe at home, the case is far from being closed for some. Lebanon continues to have a stake in investigating the aftermath of the Estonian cyclist hostage crisis, not least because the saga claimed the life of a Lebanese security officer, according to Foreign Minister Urmas Paet ... mehr

Gruß
Birgitt

Estonian ex-hostage enjoys taste of freedom
25.07.2011 - NOW Libanon

[...] "We were first taken to some house in Lebanon, but within a few hours we were in Syria, where we were kept for 40 days," [...] They had no idea they were in Syria until a captor said they were off back to Lebanon. "We were in Lebanon again for 42 days, and then a different location in Syria until July 14, when we were driven to an empty place in Lebanon with the order to call a particular number after sunrise," [...] The kidnappers told the men they had not realized their nationality and had aimed snare French, US or British tourists [...] Rumors abound that their freedom was bought. "The kidnappers told us on the first evening they needed money for their political actions," ... mehr

Die Kidnapper dachten bei den Entführten handele es sich um Franzosen, Amerikaner oder Briten -
sie brauchen Geld für ihre politischen Aktionen.

Gruß
Birgitt

French Website: $5 Million Ransom Paid for Cyclists
04.08.2011 - ERR

While officials remain silent about any deal reached to secure the July 14 release of seven Estonian cyclists kidnapped in Lebanon in March, the French publication Intelligence Online has reported that Estonia paid a 5 million US dollar ransom for their freedom ... mehr


Angeblich sollen 5 Mio. US$ an Lösegeld gezahlt worden sein.
Wenn diese Zahl auch nur annähernd stimmt, dann wird dies nicht die letzte Entführung dort gewesen sein!

Gruß
Birgitt

Cost of Resolving Hostage Crisis Tallied at € 280,000
11.08.2011 - ERR

State expenses related to freeing the seven Estonian cyclists who were kidnapped in Lebanon in March totaled around 280,000 euros, Prime Minister Andrus Ansip said at the Cabinet's weekly press conference on August 11. Next week the Cabinet will discuss releasing extra funds to the Ministry of Finance to cover a list of costs incurred by various ministries, the Defense Forces, the Information Board and the Security Police, he said [...] The list of costs to be reimbursed includes travel expenses and the chartering of a flight to bring the hostages home ... mehr

Gruß
Birgitt

Im Beeka-Valley scheinen Entführungen gerade en vogue

Armed men kidnap two Syrians in east Lebanon
Shanghai Daily - 26.08.2011

Gruß
Birgitt

ISF chase Estonian kidnapping suspects, wound one
11.09.2011 - Daily Star

Lebanese authorities late Saturday pursued three men wanted over the kidnapping of seven Estonians, wounding one, a security source told The Daily Star. During the pursuit, which took place in the north Bekaa, one of the suspects, a 33-year-old male, was shot in an exchange of fire with security forces. He is currently recovering in hospital. The two other men evaded arrest and are still at large. An investigation is currently under way to track them down ... mehr

Gruß
Birgitt

Two policemen wounded in Bekaa ambush
16.09.2011 - Daily Star

Two Lebanese policemen involved in the hunt for the kidnappers of seven Estonians were wounded when their patrol came under fire in the Bekaa, east Lebanon, early Friday, a security source told The Daily Star. The two men, members of the Internal Security Forces’ (ISF) Information Branch, were patrolling the western Bekaa village of Jalala, near Chtaura, when their car was ambushed by three men armed with AK-47 rifles, the source said ... mehr

Gruß
Birgitt

Meldung aus der Jordan Times vom 16. September 2011:

Two Lebanese police officers wounded in ambush

BEIRUT (AFP) - Two officers were wounded, one critically, when a police intelligence patrol was ambushed in east Lebanon as it hunted people wanted over the kidnapping of seven Estonians, an official said on Saturday. “Two of our cars on patrol came under fire while crossing the bridge that connects Chtaura to Jalala as police intelligence were planning an operation to crack down on the network we believe is responsible for the kidnapping in March of seven Estonians,” who have since been freed, a police spokesperson said.

Viele Grüße
Achim

Police shoot dead 2 wanted in Estonian kidnapping case
20.09.2011 - Daily Star

Lebanese police shot and killed Tuesday two key suspects linked to the kidnapping of seven Estonians who were held for four months and released in July. Interior Minister Marwan Charbel hailed the operation and confirmed to The Daily Star for the first time that a ransom had been paid to secure the release of Estonians. The Internal Security Forces described in a statement the two suspects killed Tuesday as “key members” of the cell that plotted to kidnap the seven Estonians. An initial police report released early Tuesday and circulated through the media erroneously identified one of the dead men as Wael Abbas, the alleged mastermind behind the kidnapping of the Estonians [...] It said the two men were killed in a dawn shootout that followed an ambush by members of the ISF Information Branch in the town of al-Bireh on the outskirts of Rashaya, Western Bekaa, on the Jeep used by the suspects ... mehr

Gruß
Birgitt

Angeblich wäre kein Lösegeld gezahlt worden -
zumindest nicht von Estland ...

Estonia denies paying a ransom for cyclists
Daily Star - 28.09.2011

Gruß
Birgitt

Syria Wednesday handed over to Lebanese authorities Wael Abbas, believed to be the mastermind behind the kidnapping of seven Estonians earlier this year [...] He was caught trying to cross the border into Syria at the Masnaa crossing with forged documents when he was detained.

Suspected mastermind behind Estonians' abduction captured
02.11.2011 - Daily Star

Gruß
Birgitt