An Australian mother and television crew charged over the alleged kidnapping of two children in Lebanon will be released from prison Wednesday, the woman’s attorney told CNN.
Sally Faulkner has been detained along with four staff members of Australian current affairs show “60 Minutes” since a so-called child recovery agency snatched her daughter, 6, and son, 4, from a Beirut street on April 7.
Faulkner’s attorney, Ghassan Moghabghab, told CNN that a deal had been reached with prosecutors that would see the five released, and he was in the process of submitting the required paperwork.
He said each individual had been ordered to pay a bail of 1 million Lebanese pounds ($662).
In Australia, Channel 9 — the network the crew works for — reported on its website that the charges against the staff and Faulkner had been dropped, and that the crew would be flying out of Lebanon on Wednesday night.
The film crew — including reporter Tara Brown, producer Stephen Rice, cameraman Ben Williamson and sound recordist David Ballment — had faced charges. including hiding information, forming an association of two or more people to commit crime against a person, kidnapping or holding a minor even with his approval, and physical assault, according to Channel 9.
