Syrian Interior Ministry arrests Nimir Badi’ al-Assad in Latakia countryside
DAMASCUS, Syria (North Press) – The Syrian Ministry of Interior announced on Thursday the arrest of Nimir Badi’ al-Assad, a cousin of former President Bashar al-Assad, during a security operation in Qardaha, in the countryside of Latakia Governorate.
According to a security source within the Interior Ministry, cited by the state-run Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA), forces from the Internal Security Directorate “managed to arrest Nimir al-Assad along with several members of a criminal gang during a well-planned security operation carried out in the city of Qardaha.”
The source said that al-Assad is regarded as one of the most prominent drug traffickers in the region and is accused of being involved in multiple criminal activities during the period of the previous government.
The operation, according to the ministry, was conducted by a special task force from the Internal Security Directorate’s Special Missions Department, which carried out a coordinated ambush that led to the arrest.
The Interior Ministry has not released further details about the exact number of individuals arrested with al-Assad or the quantities of contraband seized during the operation.