Mother in Australia's '60 Minutes' kidnapping plot released from jail

BEIRUT, Lebanon, April 20 (UPI) -- Sally Faulkner, the Australian mother who faced kidnapping charges for a plot involving a television crew to kidnap her own children, has been set free by authorities in Beirut.

Journalist Tara Brown and three television crew members who were working with her have also been released from jail after a deal was struck to dismiss charges in exchange for compensation.

However, the British "child recovery agent," Adam Whittington, and two others allegedly involved will remain in custody pending further investigations.

Brown, who works for Australia's Nine Network 60 Minutes program, producer Stephen Rice, cameraman Ben Williamson and sound recorder David Ballment, were questioned about a plot to kidnap Faulkner's two children.

Five-year-old Lahela and Noah, 3, were taken by Faulkner's estranged husband Ali el-Amien to Lebanon from Australia last May.

Five Australians -- the Nine Network crew and Faulkner -- two British nationals and two Lebanese nationals were arrested for the plot and could have faced up to three years in prison, following the alleged kidnap attempt on April 6.

The children were snatched from their grandmother and nanny as they were being walked to school in south Beirut. They have since been returned to their father, a Lebanese citizen.

Lebanese authorities said they possess a signed statement from a member of the "recovery team" that grabbed the children. The statement indicates the Nine Network paid $115,000 for the involvement of a child recovery service in the abduction as well as video footage of the kidnapping, in which the face of a cameraman, presumably Williamson, is visible.

Channel Nine is said to have paid several hundreds of thousands of dollars in compensation to secure the release of Faulkner and its team.

"Everybody is happy," said Nine Network lawyer, Kamal Aboudaher.

Faulkner's estranged husband has insisted that he did not receive any of the financial compensation. He also stated that he would would be open to allowing the children to visit their mother in Australia at some stage in the future.

"But not in the short term, or maybe the medium term," said el-Amien. "I did not want them thinking later on that I had kept their mother in jail."

Faulkner had a baby three months ago with her new partner.

Her lawyer, Ghassan Moghabghab, said, "Everyone is relieved that this is all over. There will be some sort of arrangement on custody later on. For now, Sally is free to return to Australia."