A previously unknown group has claimed responsibility for the kidnapping of seven Estonian tourists in Lebanon on March 23, a local website said Thursday, dpa reported.
The group calling itself Haraket El Nahda Wal Islah (Movement of Renewal and Reforms) made the claim in an email sent to the Lebanon Files news website.
"I received the e-mail late yesterday along with the ID cards of the three of those abducted," Rabih Haber, head of the website told the German Press Agency dpa.
The group said it would announce its demands soon, he said.
The Estonians were kidnapped near the town of Zahle in the Bekaa Valley, shortly after crossing the border from Syria during a cycling holiday.
Earlier this week, security forces arrested four people in connection with the kidnapping, as part of an investigation focused on the possible involvement of hardline Palestinian groups.