Kidnapped Turkish hostage back home after release

ANKARA - Agence France-Presse

Aydın Tufan Tekin (second R) is seen with his family after arriving Turkey. DHA photo.

A Turkish hostage kidnapped by a Lebanese Shiite clan in Beirut arrived in Turkey early Wednesday after he was freed, the Anatolia news agency reported.
 
Aydın Tufan Tekin, a businessman who was abducted by the Muqdad clan along with 20 Syrians in southern Beirut last month, was the last in the group to be released.
 
Tekin landed at the Dalaman airport in Mugla province in southwestern Turkey at 0210 local time after travelling on Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati's private jet, reported Anatolia. He was being accompanied by Lebanese Interior Minister Marwan Charbel and Turkish ambassador to Beirut İnan Özyıldız, it added.
 
Speaking to reporters at the airport, Tekin said his release after 27 days was just like a "dream." Both the Turkish and Lebanese governments worked hard to secure his release, he said.
 
He also indicated that he was not treated badly by his captors: "They allowed me to do many things I need to do in my ordinary life," he said.
 
The Turkish national was freed and handed over to the Turkish embassy in Beirut Tuesday after having been wounded by a failed bid earlier by the Lebanese army to rescue him, Turkish and Lebanese sources said earlier.
 
Tekin said he had no information as to how the operation was conducted and said he did not hear any gunfire during his rescue. Anatolia would not say if he was wounded.
 
Turkey advised its nationals to avoid non-essential travel to Lebanon after mass kidnappings which included two Turkish citizens. "Now our target is to secure the release of our second national," Turkish ambassador Ozyildiz was quoted as saying by the private NTV television. "We are getting positive news in that respect," he added.