#SaveFawaz: Captors free Syrian child after family pays hefty ransom

A child kidnapped in Daraa province, southern Syria, three months ago was released by his captors late on Saturday after his family handed over a 400 million Syrian lira ($110,000) ransom, according to reports.

Eight-year-old Fawaz Mohammed Qteifan's captors left him outside a pharmacy in the city of Nawaa to be collected after they received the money, local activist Mohammed al-Hourani told The New Arab's Arabic-language sister site, Al-Araby Al-Jadeed.

The Syrian interior ministry on Saturday evening shared a photo of Fawaz at a local police station, and said he was in good health.

Fawaz was walking to school in his hometown of Ibtaa on 2 November when he was abducted by two masked men on a motorbike.

The kidnappers had demanded the boy's family hand over 500 million Syrian liras ($138,000) in ransom money by Wednesday.

The boy's uncle, renowned actor Abd Al-Hameed Qteifan, said on the day of the deadline that the family had been able to raise enough money to secure his release.

The uncle posted a video to Instagram on Saturday evening, showing a dazed-looking Fawaz being comforted by his relatives.

Concern for Fawaz's wellbeing spiked last week when a video circulating on social media appeared to show the boy pleading for mercy while being beaten by his captors.

However, fact-checking site Verify-Sy said the video showed another Syrian child being beaten in Greece in 2016.

Kidnappings for ransom are becoming more frequent in Daraa province, a former opposition stronghold taken over by the Assad regime in July 2018.