Security forces carried out a qualitative security operation targeting ISIS hideouts, seizing weapons and explosives warehouses, and neutralizing one of the individuals involved in the bombing of the Mar Elias Church in Damascus, the Interior Ministry spokesman said at a press conference in Damascus on Tuesday.
Nour al-Din al-Baba said, "The initial results of the investigations revealed that the dismantled cell was officially affiliated with ISIS and did not engage in any religious advocacy activities." He noted that "the leader of the cell is Muhammad Abdul-Ilah al-Jumaili, a resident of the al-Hajar al-Aswad area of Damascus and known within the organization by the title 'Wali al-Sahara' (Desert Governor)."
The Interior Ministry official added that al-Jumaili's videotaped confessions will be released later after the investigations are completed. He noted that "the suicide bomber who carried out the treacherous bombing at the Mar Elias Church and another who was arrested while on his way to carry out a suicide bombing at the Sayyida Zainab Shrine in the Damascus countryside had come from al-Hawl camp via the Syrian desert."
Al-Baba revealed that the two suicide bombers, the one who blew up the church, and the second who was arrested on his way to bomb the Sayyida Zeinab shrine, were not Syrians. They had come to Damascus from the al-Hawl camp via the Syrian desert and infiltrated after the capital's liberation with the help of Abu Imad al-Jumaili, taking advantage of the security vacuum at the start of the liberation.
The spokesman explained that security forces were able to uncover the cell "in record time by cross-referencing information from field sources with available technical evidence. This led to the identification of one of the suspects, who had driven the first suicide bomber to the church." Special forces personnel then went to arrest him.
During the operation, according to the spokesman, another person was found to be with him, leading to a gunfight that resulted in the motorcyclist being neutralized and the second person being injured. It was later revealed that the driver had transported the first suicide bomber and was about to deliver another suicide bomber to the Sayyida Zeinab shrine.
The spokesman continued, "During the investigation of the second suicide bomber, he confessed to the location of the hideout from which the terrorist cell had launched its operations. A raid on the site led to the arrest of the cell's leader, Mohammed al-Jumaili." He noted that al-Jumaili confessed to his role in managing four other hideouts and weapons and explosives depots, all of which were raided. During the raid, a motorcycle bombing intended to target civilian gatherings in the capital, Damascus, was thwarted.
Al-Baba emphasized that the security services "will remain a shield and a sword in the face of any threat," noting that the Ministry of Interior will release further details once the necessary investigations are completed. Security efforts are being conducted on multiple fronts, including awareness-raising, social, security, and communication fields, which ISIS is attempting to infiltrate.
He pointed out that Ansar al-Sunna, which claimed responsibility for the attack, "is a fictitious organization and did not claim responsibility until after the Ministry of Interior issued its initial investigations."
The Ministry of Interior considered ISIS and the "terrorist remnants" gangs to be the most prominent challenge facing Syria today, stressing that "ISIS is a transnational organization that threatens not just one country but a group of countries."
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