Man kidnapped in Beirut for $ 50,000 ransom

Unidentified kidnappers abducted a Lebanese man Tuesday morning in the southern suburbs of Beirut and demanded $50,000 for his release, a security source said Wednesday. Relatives of Zaher Ghaleb Ramadan filed a police report Wednesday saying that the man went missing Tuesday after leaving his house in the Laylaki neighbourhood in his BMW X5. Hours later, one of his relatives received a text message on his mobile phone demanding $50,000 for the return of Ramadan and a note that kidnappers would send another message to specify the location of the drop-off. “Zaher is with us and we took the X5. 50,000 dollars are needed to release him,” the message read. Judicial authorities have instructed Internal Security Forces to locate Ramadan; the security forces has begun searching for him.