Benjamin Weir

Benjamin Weir

Benjamin Weir was an American hostage in Lebanon during the Iran-Contra Affair (1985).

Weir, who with his wife Carol served as missionaries in Lebanon with the Presbyterian Church (USA) for nearly 30 years, was kidnapped off the streets of Beirut on May 8, 1984. The kidnapping was done by an Islamic fundamentalist group, Islamic Jihad, that later evolved into Hezbollah. He was freed 16 months later in exchange for US anti-tank weapons, as part of the Iran-Contra Affair. Shortly thereafter he was elected moderator of the 1986 General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church, the highest elected office in that denomination.

He remains one of the most world’s most respected voices for peace and reconciliation in the Middle East for the past 20 years.

The book "Hostage Bound Hostage Free" tells the story of his captivity from his perspective as well as his wife's.


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