Kidnap gang strikes in Beirut

BEIRUT (AFP) - Gunmen kidnapped a Christian politician yesterday after bursting into his apartment in the suburbs of Beirut, police said. Butros Khwand, a senior member of the Phalangist Kataeb party, was led away at gunpoint as his family screamed.

The gunmen swept up to the apartment block in a car and a van, sending passers-by running for cover as they fired warning shots with automatic weapons. The kidnap took place in the Sin el-Fil district, where the Lebanese Army is deployed.

Mr Khwand has close ties with the leader of the Lebanese Forces, Samir Geagea. Mr Khwand's party boycotted parliamentary elections which ended on 6 September and is involved in moves to form an opposition coalition against the pro-Syrian government.