In an unexpected event, the security forces of the Syrian regime arrested two terrorists from the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), according to several media outlets in the country.
Until April 22, the government of Ahmed al-Sharaa had not issued an official statement confirming the news. However, an Interior Ministry official, under the condition of anonymity, confirmed the capture of the group's leaders, although he avoided providing details about the reasons for their arrest. A Palestinian source in Damascus also confirmed the information, reported France24 on April 22.
Reuters, in its coverage of that same day, quoted a statement from the Al Quds Brigades stating that Khaled Khaled, responsible for the Islamic Jihad operations in Syria, and Yasser al-Zafari, leader of its organizing committee, had been under arrest in Syria for five days.
Meanwhile, the London-based newspaper Asharq al Awsat indicated that "Palestinian sources in Damascus informed the German News Agency (DPA) that Syrian security forces arrested the Palestinian leader Khaled Khaled, head of Islamic Jihad in Syria, and Abu Ali Yasser, who leads the organization's organizing committee in the capital, Damascus, between Sunday night and early Monday morning."
According to this report, the arrests took place just two days after the visit to Syria by the President of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, who met on April 18 with the interim Syrian President, Ahmed al-Sharaa.
Saraya al Quds, the armed wing of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, issued a statement that was replicated by various Arabic media outlets, including Asharq al Awsat. Part of the content was also disseminated by other media, such as Russia's RT Arabic.
