ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The killing of a Syrian couple of Sunni Arab Bedouin background south of Homs province late last month, was driven purely by criminal motives - specifically theft - the Syrian interior ministry confirmed late Wednesday, adding that the pro-Alawite sectarian phrases found “written in the victims’ blood” at the crime scene were intended to mislead the investigation.
At a press conference, ministry spokesperson Noureddine al-Baba said that investigators had identified the killer, “who is directly related to the victim”- specifically, the nephew of the slain wife - and confirmed that “his motive was theft, exploiting his family ties and his routine access to the victims’ home.”
“After the couple discovered what he was doing, he killed them in cold blood, then wrote [pro-Alawite] sectarian phrases in the victims’ blood in an attempt to mislead justice, and set the place on fire to cover up the evidence,” Baba said, expressing regret over the “uncontrolled reactions and attacks against innocent [Alawite] citizens” in Homs that ensued.
In the aftermath of the gruesome killing, the Syrian Alawite community’s top religious leadership issued an “urgent appeal” to the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) and the international community, stating that “Alawite neighborhoods in the city of Homs had been subjected to a barbaric armed attack carried out by groups of Bedouins supported by elements of the de facto [interim] authorities.”
The Supreme Islamic Alawite Council further reported that “unarmed civilians were terrorized by direct gunfire, the burning of homes and properties, the destruction of shops, and cars set ablaze,” holding the interim authorities in Damascus “fully responsible for the safety and security of Alawite civilians.”
The violence also prompted protests from the Alawite community in tens of locations across Syria.
Alawites staged rare protests across four Syrian provinces on Tuesday, demanding federalism and an end to persecution - a movement their leaders call the “first spark” of a new era where marginalization will no longer be accepted. pic.twitter.com/GbMllyTKzD