An employee of Saudi Arabian flag carrier Saudia has been successfully rescued after 48 hours in captivity. Lebanese officials announced today that the employee, Mashari al-Mutairi, was in good health after his abduction on Sunday.Lebanese officials confirmed that no ransom had been paid, and nine suspects were arrested in the raid. The administrative employee in Saudia's Beirut office was taken from the Biel area of central Beirut and held for ransom.

How did it happen?

According to the army, Al-Mutairi was on his way from his home in the Aramoun area in Mount Lebanon to Beirut's Rafic Hariri International Airport (BEY) when he disappeared. The kidnappers are believed to have used stolen cars and fake security forces uniforms to conduct the operation before carrying him north toward the Syrian border.

His family, who live in the southern suburbs of the Lebanese capital, reached out to the Kingdom's embassy in Lebanon after they lost contact with him notification and received threatening voice messages from the kidnappers. The abductors demanded a ransom of $400,000 in exchange for his safe return.

The Lebanese Interior Minister Bassam Mawlawi confirmed that the government had been in constant contact with the Saudi ambassador. He reaffirmed his commitment to hold those responsible accountable for their actions with "an iron fist."

Following the incident, employees at the Kingdom Of Saudi Arabia's embassy in Beirut were instructed not to go outside or come into the office.

How was he rescued?

Lebanese Army intelligence teams were able to identify several of the abductors. Raids were then carried out on four of their homes, which resulted in the government operatives discovering information leading to Al-Mutairi's location.

A special operations team was then sent to the Al-Sharawneh neighborhood in Baalbek and Chtaura, where the Lebanese army said the suspects opened fire at a military center and a house belonging to a soldier.

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There were no reported injuries in the clash, and Al-Mutairi was safely extracted to Army Intelligence Office in Hermel. He received medical attention and remains in good health. The Lebanese caretaker Prime Minister, Najib Mikati, thanked the Army team that recovered Al-Mutairi and highlighted the country's dedication to protecting those within its borders:

“The kidnapping of a Saudi citizen is condemned by all standards, and we congratulate the army for the great effort it made to release him and arrest those involved in the kidnapping.

“We are keen on the return of all Arab brothers to Lebanon and preventing any threat to them, in addition to preventing the use of Lebanese territory as a springboard for any action that threatens the security and safety of Arab countries.”

The swift recovery was praised by Saudi Ambassador Waleed al-Bukhari, who thanked those involved for their "professionalism and speed" in recovering Mr. Al-Mutairi.

Source: Aljazeera, The National, Reuters, Arab News