Lebanese court files lawsuit against 13 people in Turkish pilots' abduction

A Lebanese court filed a lawsuit against 13 family members of the nine Lebanese people -who had been abducted in Syria's Aazaz city in May 2012- in connection with the kidnapping of two Turkish pilots on August 9 in Beirut. Of the 13 people, three were said to be detained. Security sources told Anadolu Agency that they had already launched investigations to find out where the Turkish pilots were being kept. Lebanon's Prime Minister Najib Miqati said on Tuesday that the Lebanese government was exerting efforts to uncover the fate of the two Turkish pilots. Two Turkish pilots were kidnapped in Beirut when gunmen ambushed a bus carrying the crew from Beirut airport to a hotel in the city on August 9. Six Turkish Airlines (THY) crew members were on board, but only the pilot and co-pilot were taken hostage. A group calling itself Zuwwar Imam al-Rida had claimed responsibility for the abduction, and demanded that Turkey talk to the Syrian opposition to secure the release of nine Lebanese people kidnapped in Syria in May 2012. The abducted Turkish pilot was allegedly kept in a district of Baalbek city of east Lebanon while the co-pilot was kept in Zavter in southern Lebanon.