60 Minutes crew detained in Lebanon
Allegations of armed kidnappers and a grandmother being assaulted in Lebanon in connection with the recovery of two Australian children at the centre of a bitter custody dispute have been denied by 60 Minutes. 
A Europe based child recovery agency with a controversial past of having operatives arrested during recovery operations was thought to have been attempting to recover the children of Brisbane woman Sally Faulkner from an address in Beirut. 
The children, Lahela, 5, and Noah, 2, were taken to Lebanon by Ms Faulkner's former husband Ali Alemine last year allegedly for a holiday.
But Mr Alemine, who runs a surf shop in Beirut is alleged to have failed to return the children as agreed, leading Ms Faulkner to launch a campaign to try and recover the children.
The denial of the involvement of gunmen from 60 Minutes executive producer Kirsty Thomson comes amid claims in unverified local media reports that armed men were involved in the recovery of the two children in Beirut. 
60 Minutes reporter Tara Brown, veteran producer Steven Rice and a film crew were detained for questioning by police while reporting on the issue.
Ms Thomson said the crew were not at the scene of the snatch. It is understood that 60 Minutes was not involved in arranging the operation.
Early Thursday morning Australian time several local "fixers" travelling in a silver Hyundai were reported to have driven up and snatched the two children as they waited at a bus stop with their grandmother in Beirut. The children were then reunited with Ms Faulkner.
But shortly after the children were taken, police were called and they intercepted the vehicle associated with the local fixers and tracked down the 60 Minutes crew, including Ms Brown, who were in Beirut to film the operation. Ms Faulkner and the children avoided interception as they were at another location.
After the arrest, local media reported the recovery agents fixers were "gunmen" and that there had been an altercation involving the grandmother when the children were snatched at the bus stop. These claims have been denied by 60 Minutes. 
Police are believed to have impounded the vehicle driven by the locals and an expensive yacht that was anchored at a local marina on stand-by, reportedly to smuggle the children and their mother out of the country.
Ms Faulkner is understood to have been reunited with the children after the snatch and is on the run in Beirut.
60 Minutes has confirmed the detention of Ms Brown and the crew and said they are working with local authorities to have them released.
Foreign Minister Julie Bishop confirmed that DFAT is seeking to confirm the whereabouts and welfare of the 60 Minutes crew and have offered the appropriate consular assistance.
Ms Bishop said in a statement that Australian authorities were working to locate the TV crew. 
Ms Faulkner's whereabouts are unknown but sources told Fairfax Media that a border alert has been put out for the trio, making their exit from the country unlikely.
The financiers behind the attempt to recover the children is unknown at this point but experts who work in the industry estimate that the cost of the operation would have been upwards of $80,000. They said the seizure of the boat would send the price through the roof.
The identity of the child recovery agency has not been confirmed although some in the industry have speculated it could be a notorious international agency which in the past had several operatives locked up in Asia and South America in controversial snatch cases.
Efforts to contact Mr Alemine were unsuccessful however local media have reported he claims Ms Faulkner was comfortable with him taking the children to live with him in Lebanon but only demanded their return after he stopped making alimony payments.
He has reportedly received a message from Ms Faulkner confirming she was with the children.