Residents from Beddawi, Wadi al-Nahleh and Minnyeh staged a sit-in near Akkar and blocked the Tripoli-Akkar and Taanayel-Masnaa highways to protest the kidnapping of a local religious figure two days ago.
Sheikh Arfan Maarabouni, known for his staunch support of the Syrian uprising, disappeared from his hometown of Lala in the Bekaa Valley Friday.
In their speeches in Akkar, Sheikhs Islam Malas and Mohammad Ibrahim called on the Cabinet and the security forces to exert more efforts to free the abducted sheikh and to hold his kidnappers accountable.
The protesters vowed to take escalatory steps in the coming days if Maarabouni was not set free. Protesters later reopened the Tripoli-Akkar highway, after several local political figures contacted the organizers
