politics
Syria Arrests ISIS-Linked Suspects After Damascus Bombings During Macron Visit
Syrian authorities announced Thursday the arrests of several suspects tied to twin bombings that killed one and wounded 36 during French President Emmanuel Macron's visit. The attacks occurred Tuesday in Damascus.
Jul 9, 7:00 PM·1m read8 sources
+4
Security gainsInstability
The IndependentAudio version
Tap play to generate a narrated version.
Syrian authorities announced Thursday the arrests of several suspects linked to twin bombings in Damascus that killed one person and wounded 36 others. The bombings occurred Tuesday during French President Emmanuel Macron's visit to the country. Explosive devices were planted in a garbage bin and a parked car.
Post by @France24_en on X
Macron was inside the presidential palace at the time and was not harmed, continuing his meeting with Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa afterward. An official with Syria's Internal Security Forces stated that the Islamic State group was behind the bombings.
Security forces carried out raids in the capital and surrounding areas and dismantled the entire cell responsible for the bombings, the Interior Ministry said.
Brig. Gen. Ahmad al-Dalati told state television that investigators identified one cell member through security camera footage and tracked him to locate the others. "The cell responsible for the terrorist bombings that targeted Damascus two days ago is now in our custody," Interior Minister Anas Khattab said.
The attacks marked the first visit to Syria by a European Union head of state since the fall of former President Bashar Assad in December 2024. A separate explosion last week in a cafe near Damascus' main judicial complex killed at least 10 people and wounded more than 20. The nearly 14-year Syrian civil war ended with Assad's ouster in December 2024.
It killed nearly half a million people and displaced millions. Syria still needs hundreds of billions of dollars to rebuild and lift millions out of poverty.
