BEIRUT: A body believed to be that of a Lebanese soldier kidnapped and decapitated by jihadists has been transferred to authorities for DNA testing, a security source said yesterday.
The man is thought to be Ali Al Sayed, a soldier kidnapped by militants in the eastern town of Arsal last month. In a video posted on the Internet, jihadists claimed to have decapitated him.
A spokesman for the Lebanese army confirmed that “the body of a soldier has been transferred and DNA testing will be done at the military hospital in Beirut”. But the military declined to give any details about the suspected identity of the dead man.
Members of Sayed’s family confirmed that relatives had been summoned to the military hospital in Beirut to provide DNA for testing.
A video purporting to show Sayed being beheaded by jihadists emerged last week, but the army said it was still investigating and could not confirm if the footage was of Sayed, or whether it was authentic.
AFP
