BEIRUT: Five Czech citizens who went missing in Lebanon's Bekaa Valley have been kidnapped, security sources confirmed on Sunday, saying several leads were being chased in the case.
The five men and their Lebanese driver have been missing since Friday night when their car was discovered in the Kefraya region in the western part of the Bekaa.
"The five Czechs have indeed been kidnapped," a security source told AFP.
"Professional cameras and video equipment were found in their car, which leads us to believe that there may have been journalists among them."
The sources said the motive behind the kidnapping was still a mystery and the five men have not yet been publicly identified.
"The security services are working on multiple leads but nothing is clear yet," one source said.
There has been speculation that the kidnapping may be related to the 2012 detention of several Lebanese in the Czech Republic, but the sources said it was not possible to confirm that yet.
Kidnappings have been rare in Lebanon since the 1975-1990 civil war, when some 100 foreigners, mostly Americans and West Europeans, were snatched.
But some cases have been recorded, often for ransom and involving Lebanese as well as foreigners.
AFP
