(Ahlul Bayt News Agency) - Lebanon’s Prime Minister Najib Mikati said all the 13 Shia pilgrims were released on Friday after three days in captivity, adding that they are in good health.
The pilgrims were handed to Turkey following their release.
It was not immediately clear under what circumstances the pilgrims were freed.
Although no group has claimed responsibility for the abduction, reports suggest the Lebanese pilgrims were kidnapped by the terrorist group of Free Syrian Army in the hope of trade the abductees for its own members being held in Syrian government custody.
The Lebanese were on their way back home from a pilgrimage in Iran when armed men intercepted their vehicle in the northern Syrian province of Aleppo on Tuesday. The women were allowed to go free and they arrived in Lebanon on Wednesday.
"After crossing the border between Turkey and Syria, we saw a white car pull up with men armed with Kalashnikovs inside. They told us they wanted to protect us from Syrian shelling. Then they handcuffed the men and lined them up against a wall," said one of the female pilgrims.
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