http://xtramsn.co.nz/news/0,,11964-6736497,00.html

Kiwi Arrested In Lebanon Kidnapping

24/12/2006
NZPA
A New Zealand man arrested in Lebanon after allegedly being paid to 
seize children involved in a custody battle is being held by authorities 
in Beirut and could face kidnapping charges.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) spokesman Brad Tattersfield 
confirmed that David Bruce Pemberton had been arrested and had received 
consular visits from the British High Commission, on MFAT's behalf.

He had not yet been charged but had legal representation, Mr 
Tattersfield said.

"We don't have any sort of role beyond ensuring they have access to 
legal representation and whatever due process of that country.

"At the end of the day, he'll have to be dealt with by the Lebanese system."

The Weekend Australian reported that Pemberton, an ex-special forces 
member, was arrested with former Australian soldier Brian Desmond 
Corrigan but other New Zealanders and an Australian involved escaped. 
Pemberton was alleged to be the team leader of a mercenary squad that 
seized the two daughters of Canadian Melissa Hawach from her estranged 
Australian husband Joseph Hawach north of Beirut.

The New Zealand Defence Force confirmed Pemberton was a member of the 
New Zealand military but left in 2004. A spokesman refused to reveal any 
other details about his military service.

Mr Tattersfield confirmed that the two men were picked up at Beirut's 
international airport on Wednesday afternoon.

If found guilty on charges of kidnapping minors they could be jailed for 
15 years.

The Weekend Australian said two more New Zealand mercenaries, reported 
to be Simon Dunn, 33, and Michael Douglas, 40, and former Australian 
soldier, James Arak, fled the country.

However, MFAT could not confirm the names of the others involved.

Ms Hawach and her two daughters, Hannah, aged five, and three-year-old 
Cedar are believed to still be in Lebanon.

Lebanese police said the men were ex-commandos and that Pemberton was 
hired for a fee to find the girls.

Corrigan arrived on December 9 and was believed to have checked in to 
the al-Rimal Hotel, in Jounieh, where Hawach was staying with his daughters.

The other four arrived in Lebanon just over a week ago and stayed at the 
nearby Protodad Hotel.

The alleged abduction took place on Wednesday. The girls were reported 
to have been whisked away in a Chevrolet van.

Ms Hawach had launched unprecedented legal action late last month 
against her in-laws and her ex-husband's extended family in a bid to 
force them to reveal her children's whereabouts.

Hawach, 31, and of Lebanese extraction, had been charged with two counts 
of abduction under Canadian law, and international arrest and 
extradition warrants had been issued.

He is alleged to have fled to Lebanon with his daughters at the height 
of the Hezbollah-Israel war in July and August.

The children have Canadian and Australian citizenship but under Lebanese 
law they are its citizens and that means the father has custody.

The couple separated two years ago after marrying in Sydney in 1999. Ms 
Hawach had since returned to Canada.

Lebanese officials say they have seized laptops, DVDs, air tickets, and 
receipts that suggest at least $40,000 had been spent on the seizure 
operation.

The men were arrested after one used his own name to rent a hire car and 
a check of passport records caught him minutes before leaving the country.

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