Today, on Friday, Syrian authorities announced the arrest of Atef Najib, a former security official under Bashar Al-Assad, who is accused of inciting protests in Syria in 2011. Syrian television reported that General-Major Atef Najib, former head of political security in Dara province, a relative of Bashar Al-Assad, was detained by the general security forces in Latakia.
An information source asserts that Najib's detention occurred as part of a special operation conducted by the general security in Latakia. Syrian activists and journalists published a photograph of Najib on social media, which, according to them, captures moments after his arrest.
Atef Najib was one of the prominent officials in the Assad regime and was considered a leading reason behind the outbreak of protests during the Syrian revolution when he led political security in Dara province. He is a relative of Bashar Al-Assad and the first officer to be required to resign and face accountability during the early days of the revolution.
Protests in Dara began on March 15 after the arrest of 15 schoolchildren, who were suspected of writing anti-government graffiti on the walls of their town. According to local residents, the schoolchildren were subjected to torture, had their nails pulled out, and all of this, as they asserted, was initiated by the actions of Najib.
