Syria captures ISIS-linked cell involved in ‘terrorist bombings’ during Emmanuel Macron's Damascus visit
Syrian authorities on Thursday claimed that ISIS linked cell behind two bomb blasts during French President Emmanuel Macron's visit to Damascus earlier this week had
Syrian authorities on Thursday claimed that ISIS linked cell behind two bomb blasts during French President Emmanuel Macron's visit to Damascus earlier this week had been captured. Syria's Interior Minister Anas Khattab in a post on X stated, “The cell responsible for the terrorist bombings that targeted Damascus two days ago is now in our custody.” Suggesting that probe is underway to explore the bottom of the issue and establish concrete evidence, he added, “Once the investigations are completed, we will reveal to the public the identities of the cell's members, their roles, and all of their affiliations and connections.” The two blasts hit central Damascus on Tuesday morning moments before Syrian state media announced French president's arrival at the presidential palace to meet his Syrian counterpart Ahmed al-Sharaa.
Eighteen people were injured and one was killed in the twin bomb explosions, Reuters reported. The blasts occurred near the Four Seasons hotel where the French President spent the night and met civil society groups on Tuesday morning. According to Syrian interior ministry, their security forces located the two explosive devices, but the blasts happened before they could defuse them. As per state news agency Sana, the process of defusing them was underway when the explosions happened. Head of interior security for the Damascus region Ahmad al-Dalati provided more details on the blast that overshadowed the first visit of European Union head of state to Syria since the fall of Bashar al-Assad regime in 2024.
In a televised address, he said that preliminary investigations indicated “the cell was affiliated with the IS (Islamic State) group”, AFP reported. Also Read | Syrian rapper Al Darwish returns home after 13 years to perform in post-Assad Damascus "We were able to track down one member of the cell responsible for the July 7 Damascus bombings, and by monitoring him we identified the rest of the group's members," Reuters quoted Ahmad al-Dalati's statement made on Syrian state-run Ekhbariya TV. As per interior ministry's statement, the cell behind the blasts had been captured following a series of raids "carried out at the same time against the suspects' different locations across Damascus and its countryside".
The security agencies carried out raids in four neighbourhoods, two of which have populations from toppled ruler Bashar al-Assad's Alawite minority, the statement said. Also Read | US planning to pull all troops from Syria
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