Fate of Tekin unknown

BEIRUT

The fate of Turkish hostage Aydın Tufan Tekin, who has been missing since he was kidnapped by a Lebanese militant group last month, is still unclear as media reports continue to contradict each other.

The Lebanese army had said Tekin is fine and still being held captive by the Meqdad family, according to Anatolian news agency. However, some media reports claimed Tekin was wounded in Beirut yesterday, possibly shot by one of his kidnappers as they fled with him during a failed bid by the Lebanese army to rescue him. Turkish Ambassador to Beirut Süleyman İnan Özyıldız said Tekin was “still in the hands of the Meqdad clan,” Agence France-Presse reported. Media reports have also claimed that the Turkish truck driver Abdulbasit Arslan has been rescued, but there has yet to be an official confirmation of this.