Opposition Coalition spokesman resigns

Spokesman of the Syrian opposition National Coalition and member of political committee has resigned, according to Zaman Alwasl source.

Louay Safi said in a statement that his resignation after 34 month in opposition ranks was a personal decision and it was taken after months of deep thinking, pointing out the coming days are very hard  and the opposition should be more prepared and ready to deal with it.    

Safi is a longtime U.S. resident whose ties to Islamist extremists were detailed in a 2010 Dallas Morning News report.

The Syrian-born man used to work occasionally on U.S. Army bases, teaching soldiers about his Islamic faith. But as we reported in 2010, he was suspended shortly after the Fort Hood massacre and subjected to a military criminal investigation.

Authorities said these actions stemmed from a complaint about the alleged terrorist connections of Safi's main employer at the time, the Islamic Society of North America, or ISNA. Thirteen members of Congress asked the Defense Department to "stop any lecturing by Louay Safi or ISNA affiliated speakers."

Early this year, Safi successfully endorsed longtime Collin County telecom executive Ghassan Hitto to lead the Syrian National Coalition, the main group of opposition exiles. Hitto quit after a few months - amid complaints, The New York Times reported, "that he was a favorite of the Syrian Muslim Brotherhood and of its main foreign backer, Qatar."