Miqati denounces abduction of Turkish pilots

Lebanon caretaker Prime Minister Najib Miqati on Friday condemned the kidnapping of a Turkish pilot and co-pilot that took place earlier in the day. "Abductions are unacceptable no matter their justifications," Miqati said in a statement. He added that the Lebanese security apparatuses are "searching for the kidnapped in order to release them." Gunmen abducted two pilots working for Turkish Airlines early on Friday on Beirut's airport road, Lebanon's Interior Minister Marwan Charbel said. The kidnapping is believed to be linked to the abduction of nine Lebanese pilgrims in Syria, whose families have urged Turkey to use its influence to secure their release. "Dealing with a just humanitarian cause cannot be done at the expense of the state and the laws' authority," the caretaker premier stressed. However, a representative for the families of the kidnapped Lebanese denied in a statement any involvement in Friday's abduction of the Turkish pilots.