Syria arrests suspect in 2013
Photo: Omar Sanadiki /AP/TT

Syria arrests suspect in 2013 Banias massacre that killed nearly 250 civilians

He is accused of being the main perpetrator of a massacre in Syria in which nearly 250 civilians were killed. On Thursday, authorities in the country said a paramilitary leader who supported the now-toppled dictator Bashar al-Assad had been arrested.

"Intelligence services arrested Ali Kayali, also known as Mihrac Ural and the main suspect in the 2013 Banias massacre, as he tried to flee across the border," Syria's official news agency Sana reported.

It is unclear which country he was trying to flee to.

In May 2013, government forces and forces loyal to the regime killed at least 248 people in mass executions in the predominantly Sunni Muslim town of Banias and the nearby village of al-Bayda, according to Human Rights Watch (HRW).

The human rights organization has previously described the incident as one of the deadliest mass executions during the country's bloody conflict.

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AuthorTT News AgencyEnglish edition by Sweden Herald, adapted for our readers
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