Updated

Lebanon's state news agency says authorities have arrested three people in connection with last week's kidnapping of two Turkish Airlines pilots in Beirut.

The National News Agency said Saturday that Lebanon's Internal Security Forces has referred the three suspects to court. It did not say when or where the three individuals were arrested.

Gunmen snatched the two Turkish pilots last week on a road near Beirut's international airport. Turkey quickly issued a travel warning urging its citizens to avoid unnecessary travel to Lebanon and those already there to leave.

The kidnapping appears to be linked to Syria's civil war. A previously unknown group claimed responsibility for the abductions, and linked the Turks' fate to that of Lebanese Shiites who have been held by Syrian rebels for more than a year.