Damascus, April 24 (SANA) Amjad Youssef, a former first warrant officer in Branch 227 (the “Region Branch”) of the Military Intelligence Directorate of the deposed regime, has been identified by Syrian authorities as a central figure implicated in the 16 April 2013 Tadamon massacre in Damascus.
The Syrian Interior Ministry said Youssef was arrested in a carefully planned security operation carried out in the al-Ghab Plain in the countryside of Hama, following several days of surveillance and tracking.
According to the ministry, earlier arrests in the same case included individuals who admitted involvement in a series of killings in the Tadamon neighborhood, which resulted in the deaths of more than 500 people, along with looting and property theft.
Youssef came under international scrutiny following an investigation published by The Guardian in April 2022, which was the first major global media outlet to publicly identify him. The investigation was based on leaked video footage dating back to April 16, 2013.
The footage shows armed men in military uniform, identified in the investigation as Youssef and others, forcing blindfolded and bound civilians to run before opening fire and disposing of bodies in a mass grave.
The video documented the execution of 41 men before their bodies were burned, and has since been widely cited as one of the most significant pieces of visual evidence linked to alleged mass executions agians civilians in the area.
At the time of the incident, Youssef was responsible for the neighborhood and has been linked to multiple alleged violations against civilians.
Residents of Tadamon have documented 288 victims from the massacre, which has been described in international reporting as part of broader allegations of mass killings and mass graves uncovered in the district.
The video and subsequent investigations have been widely referenced in global media coverage as key evidence in discussions surrounding alleged war crimes committed by the deposed regime agaianst the Syrian people throughout the years of the revolution.
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