11 Iranian pilgrims kidnapped in Syria

01 February 2012 | 19:28 Code : 1897529 Latest Headlines

IRIB - At least eleven Iranian pilgrims have been kidnapped on a road between the Syrian city of Hama to the capital, Damascus.

The Iranian pilgrims were on their way to Damascus when they were abducted. No further details of the incident have surfaced yet.

This is not the first time that Iranians have become the target of abduction by unknown gunmen in Syria over the past months.

On January 26, a group of unidentified armed men attacked a bus carrying Iranian pilgrims on the road connecting Damascus to the northwestern city of Aleppo.

The assailants kidnapped 11 men and drove off to an unknown destination, leaving the female passengers in the vehicle. Their whereabouts still remain unknown.

Meanwhile, five Iranian electrical engineers were also kidnapped by unknown gunmen in the city of Homs on December 21, 2011.

The group of engineers was abducted en route to the 450-MW power plant they were involved in building in Homs and are still in captivity.

Later, two other Iranians, who were trying to obtain information about the missing men, were also kidnapped, and their location is still unknown.