Syrian television presenter Mohammed al-Saeed, abducted from his Damascus home in mid-July, has been executed, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. The Observatory's Rami Abdel Rahman said, "The television presenter, a well-known figure on state TV, has been executed, and the Al-Nusra Front has claimed responsibility for the killing."
On Friday, Al-Nusra, a little-known Islamist militant group, claimed the kidnapping and execution of Saeed in a statement, "The heroes of western Ghouta [in Damascus province] imprisoned the shabih [pro-regime militia] presenter on July 19. He was then killed after he had been interrogated."
Posted on a forum portraying an al-Qaeda flag, Al-Nusra's statement showed a photograph of Saeed, looking scared, with his back against a wall in an unknown location. It said, "May this be a lesson to all those who support the regime." |