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The Syrian Interior Ministry reveals details of the arrest of those involved in the Mar Elias Church bombing
On Tuesday, the Syrian Ministry of Interior published photos of those involved in the bombing of Mar Elias Church in the Dweila neighborhood of Damascus, which resulted in the martyrdom and injury of many civilians. The ministry explained that the images show members of a terrorist cell affiliated with ISIS, responsible for executing the treacherous suicide bombing at the church.
In a post on its Facebook page, the ministry confirmed that the suspects had been arrested during a successful security operation carried out by the Internal Security Forces in Rif Damascus Province, in cooperation with the General Intelligence Directorate. It indicated that preliminary investigations revealed that the cell is officially linked to ISIS and has no relations with any dawa or local groups.
The Interior Ministry spokesman disclosed that the leaders of the cell, led by the Syrian individual Muhammad Abdul Ilah Al-Jumaili, known as "Abu Imad Al-Jumaili" and nicknamed "Wali Al-Sahra," are residents of the Al-Hajar Al-Aswad area south of Damascus. He explained that investigations suggested that Al-Jumaili was exploiting the unstable security situation after the liberation of Damascus and was operating within ISIS.
In the context of security efforts, the spokesman revealed that the confessions of Al-Jumaili would be published later once the investigations are completed. He added that the suicide bomber who carried out the attack inside the church, as well as the suicide bomber who was arrested before executing his operation, are not Syrians. The first arrived in Damascus through the desert from the al-Hol camp with the help of Al-Jumaili, taking advantage of the chaos following the city's liberation.
Regarding the arrest operation, it was mentioned that security forces identified the person who transported the suicide bomber to the church. During the arrest, they clashed with two individuals, which led to neutralizing a motorbike rider who was transporting the first bomber and injuring the second individual. It was later confirmed that the rider was the same person transporting the second bomber to the Sayyida Zainab shrine to carry out the explosion.
The investigations confirmed that the bombers had left a previous hideout, which was raided by security forces, where they found and arrested Abu Imad Al-Jumaili. He indicated the existence of four other hideouts, weapon depots, and additional explosives belonging to ISIS. All of these locations were stormed, leading to the detention of more elements and thwarting another attempt to target civilians in Damascus using a motorcycle ready for an attack.
