Police: Tourists abducted in Lebanon shown on tape

[April 20, 2011]  BEIRUT (AP) -- A security official says Lebanese authorities are investigating a video that purports to show seven kidnapped tourists pleading for help.

The video was posted Wednesday by local news website Lebanonfiles.com and uploaded on YouTube. It shows the Estonian tourists asking Lebanese, Saudi, Jordanian and French leaders to help them.

A Lebanese security official said authorities are investigating the tape. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.

The Estonians were cycling in the eastern Bekaa Valley when armed men wearing masks kidnapped them on March 23.

It wasn't clear whether the kidnappings were politically motivated, like the wave of abductions during Lebanon's civil war.

[Associated Press]

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