Two US citizens, Taylor Luck (a writer for the Amman based Jordan Times) and Holly Chmela (a New York Times intern) went missing in Lebanon on 1 October. The couple left Amman on 29 September for Beirut on holiday and were due to return to Amman on 4 October after visiting Syria. The couple were last seen leaving their Beirut hotel on 1 October and were planning to travel north to the troubled Tripoli area. Reports emerged on 9 October that the pair had been seized by the Syrian authorities in the company of a 'smuggler' and were arrested for not having the proper visa to enter Syria. The couple were handed over to the US authorities in Damascus later on 9 October.
The dissapearence remains a mystery and a number of questions remain unanswered. Why were they travelling with a smuggler? Where were they between 1 and 9 October? Why would two journalists, one familiar with the region, risk crossing illegally into Syria, during a time of increased Syrian military build up along the Lebanse border and tension with Lebanon - when they could easily obtain an entry visa? When did Syria arrest the pair? The mystery of their dissapearence and reemergence will only become clearer once the two have exited Syria and been interrogated by the US authorities. The MECAS report continue to monitor developments and will keep its readers updated.
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