Lebanese man briefly kidnapped, asked if he backs Syrian rebels

A Lebanese man was kidnapped and beaten up northeast of Beirut before being released Saturday, and the captors repeatedly asked him if he supports Syrian rebels. Security sources said two unknown individuals on a motorcycle intercepted Elias Adib al-Qarqoush overnight as he drove by the Mar Takla- Sad Boushrieh roundabout. The kidnappers jumped into Qarqoush’s car and forced him to drive to the mainly Shiite neighborhood of Zeaitriyyeh in the Metn town of Fanar. The captors then blindfolded Qarqoush and forced him into another car that drove toward a house, where he was locked up in a dark room and beaten up, the sources told The Daily Star. As they beat him, the kidnappers repeatedly asked Qarqoush if he was a “backer of the Syrian revolution.” The sources said Qarqoush was robbed of LL300,000 before the kidnappers released him on the outskirts of Dikwaneh where they had parked his car. Qarqoush drove to his hometown of Souk el-Gharb, Aley, and informed police of the attack. He was then taken to Hayek Hospital for treatment of various wounds. Police are in pursuit of the kidnappers. (daily star)