Sheikh Zgheib says complaint will be raised against Turkish cabinet for covering up on kidnappers

Sheikh Abbas Zgheib assigned by the Shiite Islamic Council to follow up on the case of the Lebanese abductees in Syria’s Aazaz called Wednesday on the Turkish government to take an initiative to release the Lebanese hostages, "since it is a key player in this file."            

Following a meeting with the Vice President of the Higher Islamic Shiite Council Abdul Amir Qabalan and Jaafari Mufti Sheikh Ahmad Qabalan on the backdrop of the Lebanese judiciary issuing 13 lawsuits against the relatives of the detainees, Sheikh Zgheib said that a complaint against the Turkish cabinet will be raised before the European Union and international forums since "it is covering up on kidnappers."          

On Tuesday, the Turkish Anatolia News Agency quoted Lebanese judicial sources as saying that the public prosecutor of Mount Lebanon, Judge Claude Karam accused 13 relatives of the Lebanese hostages in Syria's Aazaz "of participating in the abduction of the two Turkish pilots."

In this context, spokesperson of the relatives of the Aazaz pilgrims Hajja Hayat Awali said in an interview with LBCI that she was innocent of the accusations launched against her by Lebanese authorities whereby she was said to be involved in the abduction of the two Turkish pilots.

On Tuesday August 20th, the Turkish Anatolia News Agency quoted Lebanese judicial sources as saying that the public prosecutor of Mount Lebanon, Judge Claude Karam accused 13 relatives of the Lebanese hostages in Syria's Aazaz "of participating in the abduction of the two Turkish pilots."                      

The sources added that the suspects were identified as: Mohammad Ali Saleh, Nadim Saad Zgheib, Hassan Jamil Saleh who were all arrested, in addition to Nasri Hassan Hamoud, Adham Ali Zgheib, Hussein Mohammad Saleh, Ali Jamil Saleh, Abbas Mohammad Hajj Hassan, Abdel Rahman Ali Mounzer, Hayat Hassan Awali, Mahdi Hussein Zgheib, Rida Hassan Choueib and Sami Hassan Awali; all of whom are pending arrest.                                           

On Friday the 9th of August, gunmen intercepted a Turkish Airlines' bus at the Cocodi Bridge in Beirut and kidnapped two crew members, a pilot and a co-pilot. The bus carrying the crew members was heading from the Beirut International Airport towards a hotel in Ain El-Mrayseh.                      

While well-informed sources linked the abduction to the case of the Lebanese hostages held in Aazaz, the relatives of the Aazaz hostages denied being involved in the operation.                          

The incident triggered a chain of reactions mainly from the Turkish side, the most prominent being the call launched by the Turkish foreign ministry on its nationals to leave Lebanon.                            

Eleven Lebanese pilgrims were kidnapped on their way back from Iran by insurgents hoping to use them for a prisoner swap on the 22nd of May 2012. Only two have so far been released.                      

Their families have vowed to continue their movements until all their loved ones have returned home "safe and sound". They accuse Ankara of sponsoring the kidnapping and the Lebanese government of inaptness in this regard.