U.S. Journalist Found Dead In Lebanon

by Florian Flade

UPDATE: Lebanese media is reporting today that U.S. journalist John Redwine died as a result of a hiking incident. The American allegedly fell of a rock while climing the mountains of Central Lebanon and suffered from a deadly injury to his head. His death meanwhile was confirmed by United Nation staff in the country.

Lebanese TV reports U.S. freelance journalist John Redwine went missing last Saturday on a hiking trip in Northern Lebanon. Mr.Redwine´s car was found in the Kesrouan region. Unconfirmed reports say the American journalist was found dead near the city of Baskinta. No word on wether Redwine was killed or died because of an accident or natural causes.

Lebanese soldiers were using two helicopters and trained sniffer dogs to search for the missing journalist. UN staff meanwhile told reporters John Redwine´s dead body has been found.

John Redwine, a U.S. citizen born in 1978 in Sioux City (Iowa), has been living in Beirut for several years, reporting about political events in the country and neighboring Syria. He is fluent in Arabic and traveled the region extensively. In April American TV channel „Fox News“ interviewed Mr.Redwine about the uprising in Syria. In 2006 he worked as an Arabic translator for ABC News during the Israel-Hizbollah War.

Redwine´s death comes admits rising tension in the intelligence community as Lebanese Hizbollah has exposed a CIA spy network allegedly operating in Lebanon.