Syria’s new leadership announced on Friday the arrest of Atif Najib, a cousin of ousted leader Bashar Al-Assad, who is accused of leading a deadly crackdown in Daraa, the birthplace of 2011 uprising against Assad, AFP reported. Najib, the former head of political security in Daraa, was taken into custody in the coastal city of Latakia, according to state-run SANA news agency, which cited a senior security official. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a war monitoring group based in Britain, stated that Najib is the highest-ranking individual to be detained since Islamist-led fighters overthrew Assad on December 8. "The criminal Atif Najib has been referred to the competent authorities to be tried and held accountable for the crimes he committed against the Syrian people," SANA reported. The uprising against Assad erupted in Daraa on March 15, 2011, after 15 students were arrested for allegedly painting anti-government slogans on the city’s walls. Locals claimed the students were tortured, sparking a demonstration demanding their release, which ended in violence. Najib, who was widely blamed for the crackdown, was swiftly removed from his position. He had been sanctioned by the US Treasury, alongside other Syrian officials. The Syrian rebels, led by Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), toppled Assad on December 8, marking the end of the Assad family's five-decade rule. Related articles: IDF confirms strike on Assad regime weapons Syria forms committee to draft constitutional declaration Netanyahu and Katz order IDF to protect Druze village in Syria 'Shabbat Shalom from frozen Syria!' Syria's new leadership announced on Wednesday that Ahmed al-Sharaa, previously known as Abu Mohammad Al-Julani and the leader of HTS, has been appointed interim president and tasked with forming a transitional legislature. In an interview last month, Sharaa stated that holding elections in Syria could take up to four years, while announcing that HTS would be dissolved during a national dialogue conference. (Israel National News' North American desk is keeping you updated until the start of Shabbat in New York. The time posted automatically on all Israel National News articles, however, is Israeli time.)
