Suweida 24 reported that residents in Suweida detained an official from the regime’s State Security branch in response to the arrest of a civilian from the governorate in Damascus.
According to the network, a civil group in Suweida detained the official, who works as an investigator and is responsible for the issue of settlements, in the “State Security” branch. This action was taken to protest the arrest of Alaa al-Waqiya, a citizen from the town of al-Mughayyir, located south of the governorate, who was apprehended by the “security services” at the Conference Palace checkpoint in Damascus last Wednesday. Despite the efforts of Waqiya’s family to ascertain the reasons behind his arrest and the responsible authorities, they have not received any answers.
Khaled al-Owaid al-Najm, an official in the State Security branch, was detained by the relatives of the arrested citizen, with the support of a civil group. This was a response to the regime authorities’ indifference toward the demands of the detainee’s family to know his fate and secure his release.
The network confirmed that Waqiya is a reputable individual who used to work as a contract employee in the water sector before leaving his job to seek better opportunities in Lebanon.
Kidnapping of Pro-Assad Forces Members in Suweida
Last Monday, a local group in Suweida kidnapped members of the Syrian regime forces with the intent of exchanging them for a detainee from the governorate.
The local network Suweida 24 reported that a civil group blocked the Damascus-Suwayda road using burning tires, between the villages of Salim and Attil, and detained members of the regime’s military forces and security services. The group accuses the regime’s security services of arresting Rafi Osama al-Shaheen, a 19-year-old resident of the village of al-Munithira in the southern countryside of Suwayda. According to the network, Shaheen lost contact with his family on Sunday evening near the Abbasid garages in Damascus while attempting to head toward Homs with the intention of reaching Lebanon.
This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
