Syriaupdated 1h ago2 min read
Syrian Authorities Arrest Ali Kayali, Suspect in 2013 Baniyas Mass Killing
This article is an automated aggregation of coverage from news outlets. Our editorials offer in-depth analysis curated by the NewsCord team.
Ali Kayali, aka Mihrac Ural, arrested by Syrian General Intelligence while fleeing across the border. Main suspect in 2013 Baniyas massacre; accused of leading a militia allied with Assad forces.
Arrest in Baniyas Case
Syrian authorities arrested Ali Kayali, also known as Mihrac Ural, over alleged involvement in the 2013 mass killing of civilians in the coastal city of Baniyas, state media reported. SANA said intelligence officials apprehended Kayali “while he was attempting to flee across the border,” without specifying which country he was trying to reach. Al Jazeera reported that Banias residents celebrated the arrest, and a Syria Now correspondent said residents in Banias and its countryside took to the streets after authorities announced the detention of “Ali Kyali (Meraj Oraal).”
SANA and other coverage tied the suspect to killings in the villages of Bayda and Ras al-Nabaa, where the Syrian Network for Human Rights figures cited by SANA put civilian deaths at 264 in Bayda and 195 in Ras al-Nabaa. Human Rights Watch described the 2013 killings as “one of the deadliest instances of mass executions in Syria’s increasingly bloody conflict,” according to the account quoted by SANA.
Voices, Names, and Numbers
Fadel Abdul Ghani, director of the Syrian Network for Human Rights, said the arrest “means a lot to me personally,” and he recalled that his network documented the al-Bayda and Ras al-Naba massacres in Banias in May 2013. Ghani said his organization issued a report on May 10, 2013, documenting the killing of 459 civilians, including 92 children and 71 women, and he said the report named Ali Kyali “based on residents’ testimonies indicating that he was one of the massacre’s leaders.”
A resident of the village of al-Bayda told Syria Now, “What happened in al-Bayda is not something in human history,” and the resident added “Something beyond what the mind can imagine, with burning, stabbing, killing, rape, and looting, leaving nothing in al-Bayda.” Majed Abdul Nour, a political activist, said, “It is time for the souls of Banias’ martyrs to find rest; the murderous criminal is in the grip of justice.”
Aftermath and What’s at Risk
SANA’s account and other coverage described Kayali as a former leader of an armed group loyal to then-President Bashar al-Assad, and the arrest came as Syrian authorities intensified efforts to detain former regime officials and militia commanders accused of crimes against civilians. Arab News said Kayali’s militia is accused of taking part in massacres in Baniyas and the nearby village of Al-Bayda, and it cited the Syrian Network for Human Rights documentation of 264 civilians, including 36 children and 28 women, in Al-Bayda.
Arab News also said Human Rights Watch documented at least 248 deaths in the two areas and warned that the actual toll was likely higher, while it described survivors’ accounts of bodies lying in streets and homes and reports of civilians being shot, stabbed and burned. Asharq Al-Awsat reported that Ahmad Muwaffaq Zaidan, media adviser to the Syrian presidency, welcomed the arrest and vowed that “those responsible for killings would be pursued regardless of how much time had passed,” as Syria’s new authorities pursued transitional justice after Assad’s overthrow in December 2024.