Back in Jordan, reporters say they were kidnapped

AMMAN, Jordan - Two American journalists who were reported missing during a vacation in Lebanon were quoted yesterday as saying they were "kidnapped" by their taxi driver and taken into Syria, where they were held in custody for a week before being released.

The two - Taylor Luck, 23, and Holli Chmela, 27 - spoke to their newspaper, the Jordan Times, upon returning to Jordan early yesterday. They were released Thursday in Damascus, where authorities said they had crossed the border illegally with the help of smugglers.

In the report, Luck said the two had hired a taxi driver to take them from Lebanon to Syria. But instead of driving to an official border crossing where they expected to get an entry visa for Syria, the driver went off the main road, then "locked the doors" and demanded money.

Luck, of Oak Park, Ill., said they refused to give the cab driver anything. As they drove on, a military car showed up and pulled the taxi over, then moved the Americans and their luggage into their vehicle, Luck recounted. "We did not know we were in Syria until we saw a sign for Al Hosn Castle after 20 minutes of driving."

He said they remained in the Syrian jail for eight days. Syria's Foreign Minister said they were detained Thursday, a day after the US Embassy in Beirut put out an alert that they were missing.

"I found myself behind bars with more than 30 people, while Holli was locked up in another room."

The Associated Press could not reach Luck or Chmela, whose family lives in Watertown, Mass., and calls to their cellphone numbers were unanswered yesterday in Amman.

The Jordan Times chief editor Samir Barhoum dismissed Syrian claims the two had intentionally crossed the border illegally and said they were law-abiding citizens.