Arrest of 'Wife and Son' of ISIS Leader in Lebanon

Lebanese officials say that the wife and son of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the leader of the Islamic State group, have been arrested in the country. The Associated Press reported on Tuesday, December 2, citing two senior Lebanese officials who spoke on condition of anonymity, that the suspects are currently being interrogated and a DNA test is being conducted regarding a boy believed to be the son of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. However, the two Lebanese officials have not provided much information about the possible wife and child of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. One of them stated that the woman and child were arrested about 10 days ago with fake documents. According to him, the possible wife of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi is from Iraq but had been in Syria before traveling to Lebanon. He also mentioned that Syrian authorities had initially arrested Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi's wife but released her in exchange for the release of their own hostages by the al-Nusra Front. The al-Nusra Front had released more than 10 Greek nurses last winter in exchange for the release of several female prisoners held by the Syrian government, which the Lebanese official's remarks allude to. The Associated Press writes that the news of the arrest of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi's possible wife and son comes amid efforts to reach an agreement between Lebanon on one side and ISIS and the al-Nusra Front on the other for a prisoner exchange. ISIS and al-Nusra militants have taken more than 20 Lebanese soldiers and police officers hostage since the summer and claim they will exchange them for their own prisoners in Lebanon. The al-Nusra Front also threatened on Monday night to kill one of these soldiers. Meanwhile, the arrest of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi's possible wife and child in Lebanon could add another dimension to the issue, although the Associated Press, citing experts, wrote that it is difficult to confirm whether they are indeed the wife and child of the ISIS leader. The United States had previously promised a $10 million reward for information leading to the capture or death of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.