First pictures of five missing Czechs in Lebanon revealed
The five Czech nationals, who had entered Lebanon twice during the past few months, were identified as Jan Švarc, Adam Homsi, Miroslav Dobeš, Merlin Pešek and Pavel Kofroň. (Al Arabiya)
By Staff writer | Al Arabiya News/Tuesday, 21 July 2015/The first pictures of the five Czech who went missing in Lebanon last week have been revealed by Al Arabiya News channel Tuesday. The five went missing in the Bekaa Valley in eastern Lebanon on Friday, with security services confirming they had been kidnapped along with a Lebanese citizen. They have been kidnapped after their car was discovered on Friday night with security sources saying the group’s passports were found in the car, along with professional cameras and video equipment. Munir Taan, a Lebanese national and a resident of Nabatiyeh was identified by investigators as the owner and driver of the abandoned KIA vehicle. The five Czech nationals, who had entered Lebanon twice during the past few months, were identified as Jan Švarc, Adam Homsi, Miroslav Dobeš, Merlin Pešek and Pavel Kofroň, according to Beirut-based news website YaLibnan. The case appears to be linked to the 2012 detention of several Lebanese in the Czech Republic, according to Agence France-Presse.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. In the most high-profile case in recent years, seven Estonian cyclists were kidnapped at gunpoint in the Bekaa Valley in 2011 and were released some four months later.
