AMERICAN LEBANESE COORDINATION COUNCIL

Police, who listed them as “missing,” had originally identified them as Ziad Ghandour, 12, and Ziad Qabalan, 25. But leaders of both sides of the political divide as well as some newspapers have described the disappearance as a kidnapping.

However, security sources told Naharnet on Thursday that Qatalan who is known as Qabalan is a Sunni Kurd. Ghandour is also Sunni.

An Nahar said the mini van — a white Renault Rapid — was found deserted in Beirut’s Shiyah neighborhood on Tuesday, fueling fears that they were kidnapped.

It said Ghandour and Qatalan, who was driving the vehicle, were likely to have been abducted in neighboring Ein el-Rummaneh.

Future television, mouthpiece of MP Saad Hariri’s Mustaqbal Movement, reported on Thursday that army soldiers have stepped up patrols on the coastal highway linking Beirut to south Lebanon.

It said troops also deployed in the central mountains and in the Iqlim al-Kharroub region, and were stopping and searching cars.

The story of the two missing youths made headlines in Lebanon on Thursday in at least eight newspapers.

An Nahar headlined: “Military, security mobilization to contain (civil) unrest over the kidnappings.” As Safir wrote in bold: “Rumors hunt Lebanese … And fear united them against kidnapping.”
Rival political leaders have urged restraint; and the kidnapping incident forced them to re-establish long dormant contacts in a bid to secure the release of the missing youths after violence in recent months left at least nine people killed.

An Nahar, citing well-informed sources, said interrogation with a number of witnesses has determined that the license plate number of one of the two cars used by the kidnappers corresponds to the Shamas family.

It said the license number likely belonged to the brother of Adnan Shamas who was killed during street fighting between pro- and anti-government factions in Beirut on Jan. 25.
Rumors have linked the youths’ disappearance to a vendetta abduction related to the killing of pro-Hizbullah Adnan Shamas.

The Shamas clan, however, said in a statement distributed on Wednesday that it was not associated with the abduction of the two youths.

The statement, which condemned the act and called for the youths’ release, brought relief to a nation bombarded by rumors about the alleged death of Gandour and Qabalan.