Daijiworld Media Network – Damascus
Damascus, Jul 10: Syrian authorities have arrested several suspects accused of carrying out a series of recent bomb blasts in Damascus, including explosions that occurred during French President Emmanuel Macron's visit earlier this week.
The Interior Ministry said security forces conducted raids in Damascus and its surrounding areas and dismantled the entire cell allegedly responsible for the attacks.
Brig. Gen. Ahmad al-Dalati, commander of the Internal Security Forces for rural Damascus, said the suspects were part of a cell linked to the Islamic State (IS) group. He said investigators identified one suspect through security camera footage and subsequently tracked down the remaining members of the network.
Although Syrian authorities blamed the Islamic State group for the attacks, the extremist organisation has not claimed responsibility.
The explosions on Tuesday occurred when explosive devices hidden in a garbage bin and a parked car detonated during President Macron's visit to Syria. Macron, who was meeting Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa at the presidential palace at the time, was unharmed and continued with his scheduled engagements.
According to Syria's Health Ministry, the blasts killed one person and injured 36 others.
The arrests come days after another explosion at a café near Damascus' main judicial complex, which killed at least 10 people and injured more than 20.
The recent attacks pose a challenge to President Ahmad al-Sharaa's efforts to strengthen security and consolidate control over the country following the end of the Assad family's rule in December 2024.
Al-Sharaa's government has been seeking to reassure minority communities and improve ties with Western nations while pursuing political and economic reforms after years of civil war.
Syria's nearly 14-year conflict claimed nearly 500,000 lives, displaced millions of people and caused widespread destruction, leaving the country in urgent need of large-scale reconstruction and economic recovery.