Arabic version: السلطات السورية تحتجز مشتبهاً به في عمليات القتل ببانياس

According to Al Jazeera, Syrian authorities have arrested Ali Kayali, a suspect accused of involvement in the mass killing of civilians in the coastal city of Baniyas in 2013.

State news agency SANA said intelligence officials apprehended Kayali, also known as Mihrac Ural, while he was attempting to cross the border. Kayali has long been suspected of having a leading role in killings in Baniyas and the nearby western Syrian village of Bayda.

At the time of the killings, Kayali led an armed group loyal to then-President Bashar al-Assad. Several former Assad officials have been arrested since Assad was toppled in December 2024.