Pair of American journalists reported missing in Lebanon

Source: Agencies, 9-10-2008
BEIRUT: Two American citizens have gone missing in Lebanon after leaving their Beirut hotel to travel to Jbeil and Tripoli, the US Embassy said Wednesday. Holli Chmela, 27, and Taylor Luck, 23, were last seen on October 1 while visiting Lebanon on vacation from Amman, Jordan. The pair, who had been working as journalists in Jordan, left the Mozart Hotel in Hamra a week ago after telling a friend they planned to visit Jbeil and then travel north to Tripoli. On the same day, a cash withdrawal was reportedly made using Luck's credit card. They have not been heard from since.
The US Embassy has said in a statement that it is working with the Internal Security Force (ISF) and the Surete Generale, as well as the US embassies in Jordan and Syria in an effort to find the missing journalists. "The families [of the missing pair] are asking for the public's assistance in providing information on the possible whereabouts of the two US citizens," the statement said.
Staff at the Jordan Times newspaper where Luck and Chmela had worked said that their families had not initially wanted to publicize the pair's disappearance. Luck's mother had called the newspaper on Sunday expressing concern after not hearing from him. Luck, an Arabic speaker who is from the Chicago area, had been working at the paper as a reporter for the past 18 months. Chmela, who had lived in Washington DC, had finished an internship at the newspaper several weeks ago.
Nimr Shalala, manager of the Mozart Hotel, said they left on September 30 after a one-night stay. "They checked out, took all their belongings and didn't say anything," he told the AP news agency. He said the embassy officials had visited the hotel three times in the past week and that the police had visited once searching for clues relating to their disappearance.
According to the US Embassy's statement, Luck and Chmela had planned on visiting Tripoli before entering Syria and returning to Jordan where they had been expected at work on October 4.
Security concerns about growing Islamic extremism in Tripoli have increased following two car-bomb attacks on buses carrying Lebanese Army soldiers in August and September.
In a Warden Message dated September 29, the US Embassy expressed concern about the September bombing in Tripoli.
"In light of this development," the statement said, "the embassy is suspending all travel of embassy personnel to Tripoli. The embassy advises American citizens living and working in Lebanon to avoid travel to Tripoli."
A separate Warden Message issued on October 3 warned US nationals in Lebanon "about the potential for groups or individuals to exploit the end of the holy month of Ramadan to undertake violent actions targeting Americans."
US citizens should "maintain a high level of vigilance" and "increase their security awareness," the statement read. The embassy warning identified the "first half of October" as the period of highest concern.
The message was released three days after Luck and Chmela went missing.