Syria foils church bombing linked to 'Assad regime remnants'

Two members of 'terrorist cell' arrested in special forces ambush in Tartous

Syrian authorities said a 'meticulously planned ambush' stopped a church bombing in its tracks. Photo: Syrian Interior Ministry

Syria says it has foiled a terrorist attack on a church in a “well-planned ambush” in which two suspects linked to the former Bashar Al Assad regime were arrested.

The Interior Ministry said Ramzi Hamoud and Mundhir Ali planned to attack the Mar Elias Maronite Church in the Tartus region on Syria's coast. It said the two men were “en route to carry out a terrorist operation” when they were held.

The “meticulously planned ambush” was carried out by a Special Tasks Unit of the local security forces in Tartus. They seized an explosive device, a black flag and some papers containing written threats to local residents, the ministry said.

The attack would have involved detonating explosives inside the church, said local security commander Abdul Aal Mohammed Abdul Aal. “We assure our dear people that our eyes will not waver for a moment from monitoring these criminal schemes,” he said.

The two suspects are being held awaiting a court process. The ministry said they were “affiliated with one of the outlawed groups linked to remnants of the former regime”, without giving details. Mr Al Assad was overthrown by a rebel offensive last December that brought former Islamist fighter Ahmad Al Shara to power.

Special forces stopped the two suspects on their way to attack a church, officials said. Photo: Syrian Interior Ministry

A series of bloody incidents have set back Mr Al Shara's attempts to consolidate control of Syria after years of civil war that devastated Syria's economy. In June, 25 people were killed in a church bombing in Damascus that authorities blamed on ISIS, the worst attack for years in the capital.

A flurry of violence on the coast killed more than 1,000 people in March, mainly from Mr Al Assad's Alawite sect, which has lost influence under the new regime in Damascus.

In recent weeks the southern area of Sweida has witnessed brutal fighting involving the Druze minority, Bedouin tribesmen and government forces, leaving hundreds of people dead.

The National revealed last month how Syria's new authorities have stepped up a manhunt for Assad regime loyalists. Thousands of people believed to be wanted for war atrocities remain at large, although the government has not made a list public.