Charbel: Journalist Fidaa Itani Has Arrived in Turkey

Lebanese journalist Fidaa Itani has arrived in Turkey after he was released by his abductors in Syria, Interior Minister Marwan Charbel announced on Wednesday from the Baabda palace.

Al-Jazeera also reported that “Journalist Fidaa Itani has been released by the Northern Storm Brigade in Syria.”

Earlier on Wednesday, the Northern Storm Brigade issued a statement saying “Itani will be released within hours and will be sent to Lebanon via Turkish territory, after he was interrogated about some details and information pertaining to him.”

“This process will happen without the mediation of any party or the payment of any ransom, because Itani was only under house arrest,” said the statement.

On Saturday, the Northern Storm Brigade said it had detained Itani over “security reasons."

The Syrian rebel group has noted that Itani was not arrested because of his nationality or political affiliation.

Itani, who works for LBCI television and other news channels, was detained “because his work is incompatible with the path of the Syrian revolution and rebels,” the rebels posted on their page.

They pointed out that “reports and videos have not proven yet Itani's involvement with any party that works against the revolution, but his presence as a journalist no longer receives approval in areas controlled by the rebels.”

When contacted by LBCI, Abou Ibrahim, the head of the Northern Storm Brigade, said Itani was detained while accompanying a group of fighters in Aleppo.

“Itani was taking photos of a lot of military operations which made us suspicious and therefore we took him to Aazaz,” Abou Ibrahim said.

Meanwhile, al-Jadeed television quoted sources informed on the negotiations to free Itani as saying that al-Mustaqbal bloc MP Oqab Saqr exerted "strenuous efforts" to liberate him.

Itani was one of the first Lebanese journalists who had managed to interview the abducted Lebanese Shiite pilgrims in the town of Aazaz in Aleppo's countryside.

Eleven Lebanese pilgrims were kidnapped by rebels in Aazaz on May 22 as they were returning home from a pilgrimage in Iran.

One abductee was released in August in what his captors said was a “goodwill” gesture and another was released in September.

The kidnappers had repeatedly linked the release of the Lebanese captives to Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, a close ally of the Syrian regime, apologizing over his stances on the Syrian revolt.