2011 Estonian cyclists abduction
Encyclopedia
The 2011 Estonian cyclists abduction was a kidnapping
case involving seven Estonia
n cyclists who were abducted shortly after crossing into Lebanon
from Syria
on 23 March 2011. Their abductors are believed to have been a gang of Lebanese and Syrian nationals headed by fugitive Darwish Khanjar, who transferred the cyclists to a second gang, Harakat al-Nahda wal-Islah ("The Movement for Renewal and Reform"), led by Wael Abbas.
All seven cyclists were released in Lebanon on 14 July 2011, after 113 days in captivity. They were flown back to Estonia early the following morning.
On Tuesday, 15 March 2011, a group of seven Estonian cyclists landed in Beirut
, Lebanon, whence they cycled north into Syria. Six days later, on Wednesday, 23 March 2011, they crossed back into Lebanon via the Masnaa Border Crossing. Shortly thereafter they were abducted by armed men near the city of Zahlé
, east of Beirut. The kidnappers were reported to be masked and to be driving two white vans and a black Mercedes with the license plates removed.
One of the cyclists, Martin Metspalu, is a dentist; another, Andre Pukk, a cycling enthusiast; and a third, Jaan Jagomägi, a software engineer with Estonian geopositioning software company Regio. The remaining four were identified by Estonian officials as Madis Paluoja, August Tillo, Priit Raistik, and Kalev Käosaar.
established an Intra-Institutional Crisis Committee on 23 March in order to coordinate Estonia's activities in relation to the incident and provide regular updates to President Toomas Hendrik Ilves
. On 24 March the Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs
convened a press conference where it was publicly confirmed that seven Estonian citizens who had been cycling in Syria were kidnapped the previous afternoon after having crossed into Lebanon. Foreign Affairs Minister Paet told reporters that Estonia would be dispatching a special diplomat to work with local authorities in Lebanon.
Lebanese security forces focused their search efforts on the Beqaa Valley
region, an area known for its lawlessness and rivalries between clans over control of hashish
production and trade. Some media were quick to suggest that the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine – General Command (PFLP-GC) was behind the kidnapping, owing to its dominant influence in the area. One Lebanese newspaper speculated that the kidnapping may have been related to Israel's abduction of Palestinian engineer Dirar Abu Seesi
in Ukraine
a few weeks earlier. The Daily Star
, quoting an unnamed source, reported that Lebanese security officials were considering the possibility that the cyclists may have been smuggled back into Syria. A second source quoted by the newspaper proposed that a pro-Syrian group such as Fatah al-Intifada
or an organization loyal to Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi
may have been behind the abduction. The PFLP-GC and Fatah al-Intifada both denied any involvement in the incident.
Estonian foreign minister Urmas Paet arrived in Lebanon early Monday, 28 March, for face-to-face deliberations with Lebanese authorities. After meeting with senior Lebanese officials, including President Michel Suleiman
and Lebanese Armed Forces
chief General Jean Kahwaji
, Paet said it was still not possible to determine who the cyclists' abductors were. The Lebanese daily Ya Libnan
reported that security sources posited a connection between the kidnapping and the bombing of a Syriac Orthodox
church in Zahle on 27 March.
engaged the captors at several locations in the vicinity of Majdal Anjar
. One member of the Security Forces sustained injuries in a gun battle with the kidnappers and was transported to a hospital in Beirut.
Late in the day on 30 March, an obscure group calling itself Harakat al Nahda wal-Islah (The Movement for Renewal and Reform), led by Wael Abbas, claimed responsibility for the kidnapping. The group attached copies of three of the Estonian cyclists' ID cards to an email sent to lebanonfiles.com, adding that the Estonians were in good condition and that it would state its demands at a later time. Overnight between 30 and 31 March, Lebanese security forces estimated they were but hours away from resolving the crisis and were optimistic its ending would be a happy one. A source was quoted as saying the kidnappers had been hired by foreign parties. On 6 April lebanonfiles.com indicated that it had received a follow-up email from Harakat al-Nahda overnight demanding a ransom of an unspecified sum. Estonian Prime Minister Andrus Ansip
unequivocally rejected the ransom demand. "States do not negotiate with terrorists," he said. "In our hearts, we would all do our part, but if we started to organize a [rescue] fund, then all Estonians traveling in dangerous areas would have a price tag attached to them."
Chief of the Internal Security Forces Major General Ashraf Rifi
told Lebanese daily as-Safir
that two groups were involved in the incident – one that abducted the Estonian cyclists and another that "cooperated in transferring the hostages to another place." Samir Geagea
, leader of the Lebanese Forces
party, accused Syria of being behind the abduction and said it is likely the Estonians were being held in Syria.
Formal charges were brought against eleven people by Lebanese military prosecutor Saqr Saqr on 8 April, for involvement in the kidnapping and for firing on Lebanese security forces.
On 19 April, a video was posted on YouTube
by a user named "thekidnaper2011" (sic) in which the seven abducted cyclists were shown asking for help. The Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs was subsequently able to confirm that the video had been uploaded from Damascus
. Intelligence expert Fred Burton
of Stratfor
analyzed the video as "a good sign from a counterterrorism perspective" but also commented that the hostages' body language suggested the video had been shot "under duress, probably at gunpoint." A second video appeared on the internet a month later, again showing the seven Estonian cyclists appealing for help from various countries. A spokeswoman for Estonia's foreign ministry revealed to AFP
that a third video of the captive cyclists had been received in mid-June and was subsequently circulated among the cyclists' relatives. Unlike the first two, in the third video the cyclists were shown to have been separated into three smaller groups.
The Baltic News Service
reported that the Estonian cyclists had been held in Syria for part of the time. The cyclists described their abductors as eight Islamic extremists armed with Kalashnikovs
, who at one point demanded to know if the Estonians were Jewish or from Denmark and had pressured them to convert to Islam.
Kidnapping
In criminal law, kidnapping is the taking away or transportation of a person against that person's will, usually to hold the person in false imprisonment, a confinement without legal authority...
case involving seven Estonia
Estonia
Estonia , officially the Republic of Estonia , is a state in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia , and to the east by Lake Peipsi and the Russian Federation . Across the Baltic Sea lies...
n cyclists who were abducted shortly after crossing into Lebanon
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
from Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
on 23 March 2011. Their abductors are believed to have been a gang of Lebanese and Syrian nationals headed by fugitive Darwish Khanjar, who transferred the cyclists to a second gang, Harakat al-Nahda wal-Islah ("The Movement for Renewal and Reform"), led by Wael Abbas.
All seven cyclists were released in Lebanon on 14 July 2011, after 113 days in captivity. They were flown back to Estonia early the following morning.
Background
Beirut
Beirut is the capital and largest city of Lebanon, with a population ranging from 1 million to more than 2 million . Located on a peninsula at the midpoint of Lebanon's Mediterranean coastline, it serves as the country's largest and main seaport, and also forms the Beirut Metropolitan...
, Lebanon, whence they cycled north into Syria. Six days later, on Wednesday, 23 March 2011, they crossed back into Lebanon via the Masnaa Border Crossing. Shortly thereafter they were abducted by armed men near the city of Zahlé
Zahlé
Zahlé is the capital and largest city of Beqaa Governorate, Lebanon. With around 50,000 inhabitants, it is the fourth largest city in Lebanon, after Beirut, Tripoli and Jounieh...
, east of Beirut. The kidnappers were reported to be masked and to be driving two white vans and a black Mercedes with the license plates removed.
One of the cyclists, Martin Metspalu, is a dentist; another, Andre Pukk, a cycling enthusiast; and a third, Jaan Jagomägi, a software engineer with Estonian geopositioning software company Regio. The remaining four were identified by Estonian officials as Madis Paluoja, August Tillo, Priit Raistik, and Kalev Käosaar.
Diplomacy and search efforts
Estonian Minister of Foreign Affairs Mr. Urmas PaetUrmas Paet
Urmas Paet is an Estonian politician who has been Minister of Foreign Affairs of Estonia since 2005. He is a member of the Estonian Reform Party. As of September 2010, Paet has been the longest serving minister since the re-establishment of Estonian independence.-Biography:Paet was born in Tallinn...
established an Intra-Institutional Crisis Committee on 23 March in order to coordinate Estonia's activities in relation to the incident and provide regular updates to President Toomas Hendrik Ilves
Toomas Hendrik Ilves
Toomas Hendrik Ilves is the fourth and current President of Estonia. He is a former diplomat and journalist, was the leader of the Social Democratic Party in the 1990s and later a member of the European Parliament...
. On 24 March the Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Estonia)
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Estonia is a Cabinet-level governmental agency in Estonia in charge of conducting and designing Estonian Foreign policy.- History :...
convened a press conference where it was publicly confirmed that seven Estonian citizens who had been cycling in Syria were kidnapped the previous afternoon after having crossed into Lebanon. Foreign Affairs Minister Paet told reporters that Estonia would be dispatching a special diplomat to work with local authorities in Lebanon.
Lebanese security forces focused their search efforts on the Beqaa Valley
Beqaa Valley
The Beqaa Valley is a fertile valley in east Lebanon. For the Romans, the Beqaa Valley was a major agricultural source, and today it remains Lebanon’s most important farming region...
region, an area known for its lawlessness and rivalries between clans over control of hashish
Hashish
Hashish is a cannabis preparation composed of compressed stalked resin glands, called trichomes, collected from the unfertilized buds of the cannabis plant. It contains the same active ingredients but in higher concentrations than unsifted buds or leaves...
production and trade. Some media were quick to suggest that the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine – General Command (PFLP-GC) was behind the kidnapping, owing to its dominant influence in the area. One Lebanese newspaper speculated that the kidnapping may have been related to Israel's abduction of Palestinian engineer Dirar Abu Seesi
Dirar Abu Seesi
Dirar Abu Seesi or: Abu Sisi is the Deputy Engineer for the Gaza Strip's sole electrical plant, which provides 25% of Gaza's power, and, according to Israel, also a Hamas weapons engineer...
in Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
a few weeks earlier. The Daily Star
Daily Star (Lebanon)
The Daily Star is a pan-Middle East English language newspaper edited in Beirut. It was founded in 1952 by Kamel Mrowa, the publisher of the Arabic daily Al-Hayat to serve the growing number of expatriates brought by the oil industry...
, quoting an unnamed source, reported that Lebanese security officials were considering the possibility that the cyclists may have been smuggled back into Syria. A second source quoted by the newspaper proposed that a pro-Syrian group such as Fatah al-Intifada
Fatah al-Intifada
Fatah al-Intifada is a Palestinian militant faction founded by Col. Said al-Muragha, better known as 'Abu Musa'. The group is often referred to as the 'Abu Musa Faction'...
or an organization loyal to Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi
Muammar Gaddafi
Muammar Muhammad Abu Minyar Gaddafi or "September 1942" 20 October 2011), commonly known as Muammar Gaddafi or Colonel Gaddafi, was the official ruler of the Libyan Arab Republic from 1969 to 1977 and then the "Brother Leader" of the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya from 1977 to 2011.He seized power in a...
may have been behind the abduction. The PFLP-GC and Fatah al-Intifada both denied any involvement in the incident.
Estonian foreign minister Urmas Paet arrived in Lebanon early Monday, 28 March, for face-to-face deliberations with Lebanese authorities. After meeting with senior Lebanese officials, including President Michel Suleiman
Michel Suleiman
Michel Suleiman or Sleiman is the President of Lebanon. Before assuming office as President, he held the position of commander of the Lebanese Armed Forces. After LAF commander Émile Lahoud took office as president in November of 1998, Suleiman succeeded him, taking his place in December...
and Lebanese Armed Forces
Lebanese Armed Forces
The Lebanese Armed Forces or Forces Armées Libanaises in French, also known as the Lebanese Army according to its official Website The Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) (Arabic: القوات المسلحة اللبنانية | Al-Quwwāt al-Musallaḥa al-Lubnāniyya) or Forces Armées Libanaises in French, also known as the...
chief General Jean Kahwaji
Jean Kahwaji
Jean Kahwaji is a Lebanese general and present commander of the Lebanese Armed Forces.-Background:Kahwaji is married to Marlene Sfeir and they have three children, Jad, Joanna and Joe. He is a Maronite Christian and had headed the army's 12th Infantry Brigade since 2002.Kahwaji joined the army in...
, Paet said it was still not possible to determine who the cyclists' abductors were. The Lebanese daily Ya Libnan
Ya Libnan
Ya Libnan Oh Lebanon, is a Lebanese media outlet that delivers English-language news from Beirut to an international audience. Ya Libnan was founded by volunteers in Lebanon immediately after the assassination of Rafik Hariri on February 14, 2005...
reported that security sources posited a connection between the kidnapping and the bombing of a Syriac Orthodox
Syriac Orthodox Church
The Syriac Orthodox Church; is an autocephalous Oriental Orthodox church based in the Eastern Mediterranean, with members spread throughout the world. The Syriac Orthodox Church claims to derive its origin from one of the first Christian communities, established in Antioch by the Apostle St....
church in Zahle on 27 March.
Arrests, raids and ransom demand
On 29 March, Lebanese security forces, acting on information obtained from arrests made earlier in the week in connection with the abduction, were led to identify the Estonians' captors as a gang of Lebanese and Syrian nationals led by fugitive Darwish Khanjar, known to be involved in smuggling and other criminal activities. Shortly after midnight, Lebanon's Internal Security ForcesInternal Security Forces
The Internal Security Forces – ISF or Forces de Sécurité Intérieure in French, are the national police and security force of Lebanon. Modern police were established in Lebanon in 1861, with creation of the Gendarmerie...
engaged the captors at several locations in the vicinity of Majdal Anjar
Majdal Anjar
Majdal Anjar is a village of Beqaa Governorate, Lebanon. Majdal Anjar is an overwhelmingly Sunni town.-Geography:...
. One member of the Security Forces sustained injuries in a gun battle with the kidnappers and was transported to a hospital in Beirut.
Late in the day on 30 March, an obscure group calling itself Harakat al Nahda wal-Islah (The Movement for Renewal and Reform), led by Wael Abbas, claimed responsibility for the kidnapping. The group attached copies of three of the Estonian cyclists' ID cards to an email sent to lebanonfiles.com, adding that the Estonians were in good condition and that it would state its demands at a later time. Overnight between 30 and 31 March, Lebanese security forces estimated they were but hours away from resolving the crisis and were optimistic its ending would be a happy one. A source was quoted as saying the kidnappers had been hired by foreign parties. On 6 April lebanonfiles.com indicated that it had received a follow-up email from Harakat al-Nahda overnight demanding a ransom of an unspecified sum. Estonian Prime Minister Andrus Ansip
Andrus Ansip
Andrus Ansip is the current Prime Minister of Estonia, and chairman of the market liberal Estonian Reform Party .-Early life and career:...
unequivocally rejected the ransom demand. "States do not negotiate with terrorists," he said. "In our hearts, we would all do our part, but if we started to organize a [rescue] fund, then all Estonians traveling in dangerous areas would have a price tag attached to them."
Chief of the Internal Security Forces Major General Ashraf Rifi
Ashraf Rifi
General Ashraf Rifi is the general director of the Lebanese Internal Security Forces .Rifi attended Lebanese University, studying the sociology of crime...
told Lebanese daily as-Safir
As-Safir
As-Safir meaning The Ambassador, is a leading Arabic-language daily newspaper in Lebanon.It was first published on March 26, 1974 as an Arabic political daily....
that two groups were involved in the incident – one that abducted the Estonian cyclists and another that "cooperated in transferring the hostages to another place." Samir Geagea
Samir Geagea
Samir Farid Geagea , born October 25, 1952, is a Lebanese politician. He is also a senior figure in the March 14 Alliance, alongside Saad Hariri and Amine Gemayel....
, leader of the Lebanese Forces
Lebanese Forces
The Lebanese Forces is a Lebanese political party. Founded as a militia by Bachir Gemayel during the Lebanese Civil War, the movement fought as the main militia within the Christian-dominated Lebanese Front...
party, accused Syria of being behind the abduction and said it is likely the Estonians were being held in Syria.
Formal charges were brought against eleven people by Lebanese military prosecutor Saqr Saqr on 8 April, for involvement in the kidnapping and for firing on Lebanese security forces.
On 19 April, a video was posted on YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
by a user named "thekidnaper2011" (sic) in which the seven abducted cyclists were shown asking for help. The Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs was subsequently able to confirm that the video had been uploaded from Damascus
Damascus
Damascus , commonly known in Syria as Al Sham , and as the City of Jasmine , is the capital and the second largest city of Syria after Aleppo, both are part of the country's 14 governorates. In addition to being one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, Damascus is a major...
. Intelligence expert Fred Burton
Fred Burton
Fred Burton is Stratfor's vice president for intelligence, and is considered "one of the world's foremost experts on security, terrorists and terrorist organizations."Burton was a special agent with the U.S. Diplomatic Security Service....
of Stratfor
Stratfor
Strategic Forecasting, Inc., more commonly known as STRATFOR, is a global intelligence company founded in 1996 in Austin, Texas by George Friedman who is the founder, chief intelligence officer, and CEO of the company...
analyzed the video as "a good sign from a counterterrorism perspective" but also commented that the hostages' body language suggested the video had been shot "under duress, probably at gunpoint." A second video appeared on the internet a month later, again showing the seven Estonian cyclists appealing for help from various countries. A spokeswoman for Estonia's foreign ministry revealed to AFP
Agence France-Presse
Agence France-Presse is a French news agency, the oldest one in the world, and one of the three largest with Associated Press and Reuters. It is also the largest French news agency. Currently, its CEO is Emmanuel Hoog and its news director Philippe Massonnet...
that a third video of the captive cyclists had been received in mid-June and was subsequently circulated among the cyclists' relatives. Unlike the first two, in the third video the cyclists were shown to have been separated into three smaller groups.
Release
On 14 July 2011, the seven cyclists were set free by their captors and taken by French delegates to the French Embassy in Beirut. According to Lebanese Interior Minister Marwan Charbel, they were "in good health, but rather underweight." Estonia's foreign minister arrived in Beirut later in the day and escorted the cyclists back to Estonia. A source close to Minister Charbel insisted that no ransom was paid in securing the cyclists' release.The Baltic News Service
Baltic News Service
The Baltic News Service is the largest news agency operating in the Baltic states. Founded in April, 1990, by a group of students , it sought to inform foreign correspondents in Moscow of developments in the Baltic states' struggles for independence from the Soviet Union...
reported that the Estonian cyclists had been held in Syria for part of the time. The cyclists described their abductors as eight Islamic extremists armed with Kalashnikovs
AK-47
The AK-47 is a selective-fire, gas-operated 7.62×39mm assault rifle, first developed in the Soviet Union by Mikhail Kalashnikov. It is officially known as Avtomat Kalashnikova . It is also known as a Kalashnikov, an "AK", or in Russian slang, Kalash.Design work on the AK-47 began in the last year...
, who at one point demanded to know if the Estonians were Jewish or from Denmark and had pressured them to convert to Islam.
See also
- Estonian Cyclists' UnionEstonian Cyclists' UnionThe Estonian Cyclists' Union or EJL is the national governing body of cycle racing in Estonia.The EJL is a member of the UCI and the UEC....
- Foreign relations of EstoniaForeign relations of EstoniaFollowing restoration of independence from the Soviet Union, Russia was one of the first nations to recognise Estonia's independence . Estonia's immediate priority after regaining its independence was the withdrawal of Russian forces from Estonian territory. In August 1994, this was completed...
- Foreign relations of LebanonForeign relations of LebanonThe foreign policy of Lebanon reflects its geographic location, the composition of its population, and its reliance on commerce and trade. Until 2005, Lebanon's foreign policy had been heavily influenced by Syria. The framework for relations was first codified in May 1991, when Lebanon and Syria...
External links
- Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs
- 31.03.2011, Estonian Foreign Ministry announcement No. 106-E, four of seven criminals are in custody
- petition in favor af the seven abducted Estonian cyclists - Dutch version
- petition in favor af the seven abducted Estonian cyclists - English version
- Sign Petition!
- Video: Röövitud jalgratturite video tekitab lähedastes ahastust. Eesti Ekspress, 21. aprill 2011
- 14.07.2011 Liibanonis röövitud eestlased on vabastatud (AK video)