Five Czech citizens and their driver went missing in Lebanon: Report

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Sunday 19 Jul 2015 - 14:03 Makkah mean time-3-10-1436 Beirut, (IINA) - Five Czechs and their Lebanese driver had gone missing in lebanon when their abandoned vehicle was found near Kefraya in eastern Lebanon, news agencies reported citing a spokeswoman for the Czech foreign ministry. Lebanese media and a security source had reported earlier on Saturday that the five Czech nationals had gone missing when their abandoned vehicle was found near Kefraya, a popular destination for tourists. Passports, money and cameras were found inside the Lebanon-registered vehicle in the west Bekaa region and security services launched an investigation. The Czech foreign ministry knows the identities of the missing Czechs, but it would not publish that information in order not to jeopardize the investigation, Michaela Lagronova of the ministry told reporters in Prague. From their sides,the Lebanese news media raised a question of whether the case was connected to Ali Fayad, a Lebanese citizen who was arrested last year in Prague, on charges of drug trafficking and terrorism. The United States has been seeking his extradition. The taxi driver was identified by the newspaper The Daily Star and other news media as Saeb Mounir Taan, from a village near Nabatiya called Ansar, the same village as Fayad. Some news media outlets said they were related. According to the Czech news media, Fayad was detained and indicted after a sting operation carried out by American agents. The agents posed as members of a Colombian terrorist organization who sought to attack American troops. Fayad and two associates were accused of agreeing to make a deal with the undercover agents to sell them drugs and arms. On the other side, there was no immediate indication of any involvement of Syria-based militant and insurgent groups, like the Nusra Front, that have been active near the border, and the area was far from their enclave in Arsal. SM/IINA