The Syrian Ministry of Interior announced the arrest of a cell that was planning to bomb a church in Tartus, western Syria.
According to a statement published by the Ministry on Facebook on Wednesday, August 6, Colonel Abdel Aal Mohammad Abdel Aal, head of Internal Security in Tartus governorate, said that the Internal Security forces apprehended two individuals linked to the former Syrian regime. The pair had allegedly planned to detonate an explosive device at the ST.Elias Maronite Church in the village of al-Khraybat, in the Safita district of rural Tartus.
He added that authorities seized a bomb ready for detonation, as well as papers bearing threats directed at local residents and a black flag.
The operation, according to Abdel Aal, was based on what was described as precise and intensive intelligence and surveillance efforts, which ultimately prevented the attack from being carried out.
The Ministry said the suspects were affiliated with a group it described as “outside the law” (without naming it), and released photos showing the defused explosive device, incendiary leaflets, and a flag commonly associated with the Islamic State (ISIS), which the cell reportedly possessed.
The attempted bombing coincided with the Christian feast of the Transfiguration, celebrated on August 6, during which several churches of various Christian denominations hold religious observances.
” St. Elias” Church in the Dweila
The foiled bombing attempt recalls a deadly attack on another church—St.Elias in the al-Dweila neighborhood of Damascus—on June 22. That bombing killed 25 people and injured 63. At the time, the Interior Ministry blamed the Islamic State (ISIS), although discrepancies arose in the official narrative.
Archimandrite Father Malatios Shtaheh told Enab Baladi at the time that worshippers first heard gunfire outside the church before two individuals carrying explosive devices entered and blew themselves up. However, Interior Ministry spokesperson Nour al-Din al-Baba stated that initial investigations revealed the bombing was carried out by a single individual, not two.
On June 23, the Syrian Ministry of Interior announced it had carried out a security operation in southern Syria’s Rif Dimashq against a cell affiliated with the Islamic State (ISIS), which it claimed was responsible for the bombing of ST. Elias Church.The operation, conducted in the cities of Harasta and Kafr Batna, resulted in the deaths of two individuals and the arrest of five others, including the cell’s leader, following clashes.
According to the ministry, one of the deceased had facilitated the suicide bomber’s entry into the church in the Dweila neighborhood of Damascus, while the other was allegedly preparing for another “terrorist” act in a district of the capital.
Interior Ministry spokesperson Nour al-Din al-Baba stated in a press conference attended by Enab Baladi on June 24 that the leader of the cell responsible for the church bombing was a Syrian national named Mohammed Abdel Ilah al-Jumaili, known as “Abu Imad al-Jumaili.” He was a resident of the al-Hajar al-Aswad area in Damascus and was reportedly known within the organization as the “Wali of the Desert.” His recorded confessions will be released following the conclusion of the investigation.
Al-Baba added that the Ministry of Interior carried out a well-coordinated security operation on Monday, in cooperation with the General Intelligence Directorate, during which it raided hideouts belonging to the group that contained a weapons and explosives depot.
While ISIS did not claim responsibility for the attack, a group called Saraya Ansar al-Sunna did. The group, whose size, location, and affiliations remain unknown, emerged after the fall of the previous regime. It denied coordination with ISIS, though it shares enmity with the new Syrian government. The bombing’s method and style bore the hallmarks of ISIS tactics.
The incident prompted local and international sympathy, including solidarity vigils and condemnations from several countries and international bodies.
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