Nephew behind Homs killing, sectarian phrases meant to mislead: Damascus

Rudaw

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The killing of a Syrian couple of Sunni Arab Bedouin background south of Homs province late last month, was driven purely by criminal motives - specifically theft - the Syrian interior ministry confirmed late Wednesday, adding that the pro-Alawite sectarian phrases found “written in the victims’ blood” at the crime scene were intended to mislead the investigation.

At a press conference, ministry spokesperson Noureddine al-Baba said that investigators had identified the killer, “who is directly related to the victim”- specifically, the nephew of the slain wife - and confirmed that “his motive was theft, exploiting his family ties and his routine access to the victims’ home.”

“After the couple discovered what he was doing, he killed them in cold blood, then wrote [pro-Alawite] sectarian phrases in the victims’ blood in an attempt to mislead justice, and set the place on fire to cover up the evidence,” Baba said, expressing regret over the “uncontrolled reactions and attacks against innocent [Alawite] citizens” in Homs that ensued.

In the aftermath of the gruesome killing, the Syrian Alawite community’s top religious leadership issued an “urgent appeal” to the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) and the international community, stating that “Alawite neighborhoods in the city of Homs had been subjected to a barbaric armed attack carried out by groups of Bedouins supported by elements of the de facto [interim] authorities.”

The Supreme Islamic Alawite Council further reported that “unarmed civilians were terrorized by direct gunfire, the burning of homes and properties, the destruction of shops, and cars set ablaze,” holding the interim authorities in Damascus “fully responsible for the safety and security of Alawite civilians.”

The violence also prompted protests from the Alawite community in tens of locations across Syria.


The Syrian interior ministry spokesperson on Wednesday reaffirmed the government’s “rejection of any unlawful actions that followed the crime,” pledging “to hold accountable all those found to have participated in disturbing security, stability and inciting strife.”

Baba further reiterated the need for vigilance and for “combating hate speech and sectarianism” aimed at provoking sedition, “harming the national fabric … and undermining the unity of Syrian society.”

“We urge all citizens and media outlets to exercise accuracy and refrain from publishing any information before verifying it through official sources,” he stressed.

Following a swift offensive in December of last year, a coalition of opposition forces led by the now-dissolved Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) - then headed by the current interim president Ahmed al-Sharaa - overthrew the regime of longtime dictator Bashar al-Assad.

In March, Assad loyalists clashed with security forces aligned with the interim leadership in Alawite-majority coastal regions. The fighting left an estimated 1,700 Alawite civilians dead, according to the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), which attributed most of the casualties to government or pro-government forces.

Violence also broke out in mid-July between Druze fighters and Bedouin tribes in the Druze-majority Suwayda province in southern Syria. The conflict escalated with the involvement of Syrian government forces and Israel before a US-brokered ceasefire was announced on July 19.

SOHR in mid-August reported that the death toll from the Suwayda violence had reached 1,677, including “452 civilians field-executed” by Syrian government forces and affiliated factions.

Asked about the proliferation of arms in the hands of non-state actors, interior ministry spokesperson Baba affirmed that “the phenomenon of uncontrolled weapons is in continuous decline,” noting the “imminent issuance of new procedures regarding weapons licenses and stricter laws for those who misuse them.”