Awak to LBCI: Arrested bus had 5 Hezbollah members on board and suspicious equipment

Defected Syrian Brigadier-General Hussameddine al-Awwak, one of the mediators in the case of the Lebanese abductees, revealed that 5 Hezbollah members are among the Lebanese abducted in Syria including Hussein Hammoud. He noted that the bus was arrested because it stopped many times in Free Syrian Army sites and had suspicious equipment such as binoculars.         

Awwak told LBCI that the leader of the brigade which kidnapped the Lebanese pilgrims called him and that he interfered to put an end to this case.          

In this context, Awwak also declared that during the negotiations with Lebanese parties, the brigade leader had many demands, pointing that the Free Syrian Army is a national army that works on defending Syria. He added that the Lebanese abductees will be released as soon as the investigations are over, while the negotiations are ongoing.       

For his part, the President of the National Syrian Council, Burhan Ghalioun told LBCI that there is no information as to the abductors’ identities. He stressed that religion has nothing to do with the abduction, noting that the abductees are not civilians since they participated in trainings.          

Ghalioun said that the National Syrian Council issued a statement whereby it demanded the release of every civilian.