New accounts have raised questions about where Ali Kayali, also known as Mihrac Ural, was arrested and whether Lebanese authorities knew about the operation, Al Jazeera and Syria TV reported.
An unnamed Lebanese security source told AFP that Turkish and Syrian intelligence kidnapped Kayali from Mansourieh near Beirut, took him to Syria’s embassy and then transferred him to Syria without Beirut’s knowledge.
A Syrian security source separately told AFP that Kayali was detained in Lebanon in coordination with the Lebanese side. Turkish security sources cited by Anadolu said he was captured inside Syria while trying to cross the border.
Syrian intelligence announced the arrest on Thursday. Authorities accuse Kayali of responsibility for the 2013 Baniyas and al-Bayda massacres. The conflicting accounts do not establish an agreed account of the arrest.
Sources: Al Jazeera Arabic; Syria TV
Ali Kayali after his arrest. Photo: SANA, via Al Jazeera.
