MSM Two American Journalists Missing in Lebanon

Two American Journalists Missing in Lebanon
Wednesday, October 08, 2008
A/P
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,434515,00.html


BEIRUT, Lebanon — Two American journalists vacationing in Lebanon have not been heard from since Oct. 1 and are believed missing, the U.S. Embassy said Wednesday, appealing for information on their possible whereabouts.

The embassy said the two reportedly left Beirut for the northern Lebanese port of Tripoli, a predominantly Sunni Muslim city where militants and Islamic fundamentalists are known to be active. There have been sectarian fighting and bombings in recent months.

Earlier this week, the embassy issued a statement warning its citizens about potential violent actions targeting Americans in Lebanon and calling on them to be more watchful. It said the threats were particularly high in the first half of October.

Chmela and Luck arrived in Lebanon on Sept. 29 from the Jordanian capital of Amman on vacation and told a friend on Oct. 1 that they were traveling from Beirut to Tripoli through the coastal town of Byblos that day, an embassy statement said.

They then planned to cross by land into Syria before returning to Jordan on Saturday, the embassy said.

"The families ... are asking for the public's assistance in providing information on the possible whereabouts of the two U.S. citizens," the embassy said.

Lebanese security officials told The Associated Press they are searching for Chmela and Luck. The officials said authorities are searching for the two and are trying to ascertain whether they had left the country.

A Jordanian security official said U.S. authorities in Beirut were investigating and that Jordanian authorities are not involved.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because of regulations and the sensitivity of the issue.

Taylor, who is from the Chicago area, has been a reporter at the Jordan Times for the past 18 months.

Chmela, whose last U.S. home was in Washington D.C., worked as an intern at the English-language daily for three months before leaving the job several weeks ago, the paper's chief editor, Samir Barhoumeh, said.

Taylor, who speaks Arabic, planned to go to visit the Syrian city of Aleppo after passing through Lebanon, Barhmoumeh told The AP, adding that as far as he knows Taylor did not enter Syria.

Taylor's mother called Barhoumeh Saturday expressing concern, saying her son did not use his credit card since Oct. 1, he said.

Chmela and Luck left their Beirut hotel Sept. 30 after a one-night stay, the hotel manager Nimr Shalala said. "They checked out, took all their belongings and didn't say anything," he told The AP.

The U.S. Embassy said it was coordinating efforts with the State Department in Washington and embassies in Amman and Damascus.

Jarhead

Update....

Syria Holding Two U.S. Journalists Reported Missing in Lebanon
Thursday, October 09, 2008
A/P

DAMASCUS, Syria — Two American journalists who disappeared during a vacation in Lebanon eight days ago were arrested Thursday in Syria after they crossed the Lebanese-Syrian border with the help of smugglers, Syrian officials said.

Holli Chmela, 27, and Taylor Luck, 23 were detained after they crossed into the country, the Syrian foreign ministry said. It said the two will be handed over to the U.S. Embassy following a completion of "necessary measures."

The Syrian government confirmed that the two Americans were Chmela and Luck, deputy State Department spokesman Robert Wood, adding "we are greatly relieved that the two are safe and are seeking consular access."

Smugglers are known to be active on the Lebanon-Syria border where they use unpaved mountainous roads to bring goods to both countries. Gangs are also known to smuggle people, mainly workers looking for jobs in Lebanon.

Lebanese authorities who were trying to determine whether the pair had left the country through regular border crossings said departure records do not show that Chmela and Luck had formally left the country.

The U.S. Embassy in Beirut announced Wednesday the two disappeared during a vacation in Lebanon and have not been heard from since Oct. 1, when they headed to northern Lebanon en route to Syria.

Chmela and Luck had been working for the Jordan Times and were expected back in Amman on Saturday.

The embassy said Chmela and Luck were reportedly headed for the northern Lebanese port city of Tripoli, a predominantly Sunni Muslim city where militants and Islamic fundamentalists are known to be active.

The U.S. Embassy in Beirut earlier this week warned its citizens about potential violent actions targeting Americans in Lebanon and called on them to be more watchful. It said the threats were particularly high in the first half of October.

Chmela and Luck arrived in Lebanon on Sept. 29 from the Jordanian capital of Amman on vacation. They told a friend on Oct. 1 that they were traveling from Beirut to Tripoli through the coastal town of Byblos that day, the U.S. embassy said.

From Tripoli, they planned to cross by land into Syria, it added.

Luck, of Oak Park, Illinois, has been a reporter at the Jordan Times for the past 18 months. He graduated last year from Beloit College in Wisconsin as an international relations major but also studied Arabic, the school's public affairs director Ron Nief said. He said the college awarded Luck a grant to return to Jordan for study.

Chmela worked as a clerk for The New York Times in Washington before leaving this year to study Arabic in Jordan, according to Times' Bureau Chief Dean Baquet. In a memo to staff about the disappearance, he said she later took an internship with the Jordan Times.

She worked as an intern at the English-language daily for three months before leaving the job several weeks ago, the paper's chief editor, Samir Barhoumeh, said.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,435001,00.html