Former Syrian chief military justice arrested in Tartus: Observatory
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Mohammed Kanjo al-Hassan was arrested as part of a security operation launched by Syria's Military Operations Department, in collaboration with the Ministry of Interior, in the Tartous countryside.
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Fighters affiliated with Syria's new administration inspect a car at a checkpoint in Syria's western coastal city of Latakia on December 26, 2024. (AFP)
The new administration in Syria arrested the former head of the military judiciary, Mohammed Kanjo al-Hassan on Thursday, who is considered the most prominent official responsible for the executions carried out in the Saydnaya prison, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
Al-Hassan was arrested as part of a security operation launched by Syria's Military Operations Department, in collaboration with the Ministry of Interior, in the Tartus countryside. This follows clashes on Wednesday between gunmen associated with the former Syrian regime and security forces.
According to the Observatory, al-Hassan was arrested along with 20 of his members after security forces attempted to apprehend him at his residence in Khirbet al-Maaza, west of Tartus. The clashes that ensued resulted in the deaths of 14 members of the General Security force and the injury of 10 others.
As for al-Hassan, seven of his close associates were killed, while his fate is still unclear, and the new administration in Syria has not officially announced his arrest.
On Wednesday, the Military Operations Department in Syria, in coordination with the Ministry of Interior, launched an operation aimed at "restoring security, stability, and civil peace, as well as targeting" groups linked to the former regime in the forests and hills of the Tartus Governorate, according to reports from the SANA news agency.
It further reported that during the operation, the Military Operations Department successfully neutralized several groups and individuals linked to the former regime, while continuing to pursue others.
A security source in the Syrian caretaker government confirmed the establishment of a security cordon around the neighborhoods that saw unrest on Wednesday. The source also announced the identification of a list containing individuals wanted by the former regime, who had opened fire on the police.
On Wednesday, the Observatory reported that 17 people were killed in clashes in Tartus province, following an attempt by security forces to arrest al-Hassan, who served under the government of ousted President Bashar al-Assad, who was allegedly associated with the notorious prison.
