‘Kidnaping’ of 3 Westerners in Beirut Proves to Be a Hoax

After a kidnaping scare based on messages from the Lebanese underworld, an American and two West Germans turned up safe Thursday, telling diplomats they had been held by robbers but had not been taken as hostages.

West German Ambassador to Lebanon Wolfgang Goettelmann reported that Mounir Sami, 39; his 7-year-old son Daniel, and their American companion, Deborah Fahrend, 54, were never abducted, as was reported by a hitherto-unknown group, Organization of Just Revenge.

The three foreigners first heard of their alleged abduction when they read Thursday’s newspapers, the ambassador said.

“They were astonished when they read the story. They came to the embassy to see what was happening.”

According to Fahrend’s family in the United States, the American woman, who lives in West Berlin but lists her home as San Geronimo in northern California, went to Lebanon last month to do research for a book. Mounir Sami is a Lebanese-born West German citizen.

Sami’s sister, Marwa, who learned further details from the West German Embassy in Christian East Beirut, said the three were seized by gunmen who held them for about 24 hours and took all their money. All three were then set free.

The sister did not say whether the robbery occurred in Muslim West Beirut or the Christian East.

Western news agencies in West Beirut ignored as suspected hoaxes telephone calls Tuesday reporting that the three were hostages. A later message, accompanied by copies of their passports, was received Wednesday.

Sami’s mother said the three were expected to leave by boat from the Christian-held port of Juniyah, north of Beirut, and fly from Cyprus to West Germany.