Syrian Authorities Arrest Damascus Bombing Cell Linked To Islamic State During Macron Visit

Syrian authorities said on Thursday they arrested those behind a string of explosions in Damascus, including bombings during French President Emmanuel Macron’s visit earlier this week.

“Syrian authorities say they have arrested the cell responsible for recent bombings in Damascus and the suspects are affiliated with ISIL (ISIS)”

Al Jazeera

The Jerusalem Post reported Syria’s Interior Ministry confirmed in an X/Twitter post that the “cell responsible for the terrorist bombings that targeted Damascus two days ago is now in our grasp,” and said simultaneous raids targeted locations in Damascus and the countryside including Al-Qatifah, Sayyidah Zaynab, Qudsaya suburb, and 'Ush al-Warawir.

Al Jazeera

France 24 said the Interior Ministry stated security forces dismantled the entire cell and that an official blamed Islamic State, which has not claimed responsibility, while also quoting Interior Minister Anas Khattab posting on X that the cell was “now in our custody.”

The sources tied the arrests to Tuesday’s blasts near the hotel where Macron was meant to be staying, with The Jerusalem Post adding that Macron was in a meeting with Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa in the presidential palace when the attack occurred and continued his encounter with Sharaa unharmed.

The Jerusalem Post said Syrian Interior Ministry posts described a “complex security operation” and “precise intelligence follow-up,” with internal security forces acting “in cooperation and coordination with the General Intelligence Agency” to dismantle the cell.

It also cited Brig. Gen. Ahmad al-Dalati, who told state television that investigators identified a member of the cell with security camera footage and then tracked him to identify the other suspects, saying, “We were able to track down one member of the cell responsible for the July 7 Damascus bombings.”

Al-Jazeera Net

France 24 reported that Ahmad Dalati said preliminary investigations indicated “the cell was affiliated with the IS (Islamic State) group,” and that the interior ministry said the raids were carried out “at the same time against the suspects' different locations across Damascus and its countryside.”

In the same reporting, France 24 described two blasts hitting central Damascus on Tuesday, killing one person and wounding dozens during Macron’s first visit to Syria as he was in the city, with the blasts near the hotel where Macron had spent the night coming after his departure from the building.

Across the sources, Syrian officials said identities and roles would be disclosed after investigations, with The Jerusalem Post stating Interior Minister Anas Khattab said authorities would reveal the identities of the cell’s members, their roles and all their links after investigations were completed.

“Syria says preliminary probe links Damascus bomb cell to Islamic State July 9 (Reuters) - Preliminary investigations into the cell responsible for Tuesday's bombings in Damascus have shown it was affiliated with Islamic State, a senior Syrian security official said on Thursday”

Al-Monitor

Al Jazeera said the Interior Ministry announced the arrests of the cell responsible for the two bombings and that identifying those involved and their roles and connections would come after investigations were completed, while also quoting Ahmad Dalati on Syrian state television that “the cell was affiliated with the IS group.”

The Jerusalem Post also placed the bombings in the context of Macron’s visit, noting that explosive devices planted in a vehicle near the hotel where Macron was meant to be staying detonated on Tuesday, killing one person and wounding 36 others, and that another explosion last week in a Damascus café left ten dead and 21 injured.

Al Jazeera added that two explosions rocked Damascus on Tuesday, killing one person and wounding 36, and said the previous week a bomb at a cafe popular with lawyers killed 10 people and left 21 injured, while also quoting Macron’s response after the blast: “We must at once stand alongside those who have been injured, continue to be uncompromising on security… but not let ourselves be destabilised.”