The mystery surrounding the assassination of a senior Syrian officer and close aide to President Bashar Assad at a beach resort in the northern port city of Tartous last Friday continues.
Brig. Gen. Mohammed Suleiman was described by the website of exiled Syrian dissident Mr Abdul-Halim Khaddam as a “shadowy” figure who handled sensitive intelligence files and was a close Assad associate.
According to reports published Tuesday, Syrian security sealed the resort off immediately after the killing and detained a number of people.
London-based Arabic-language newspaper al-Sharq al-Awsat said the Syrian public is astonished by the Presidential Palace's handling of the affair. According to Syrian sources, a number of senior officials attended Suleiman's funeral, including Assad's younger brother Maher, who heads the Republican Guard.
Assad's brother-in-law, Military Intelligence chief Assef Chawkat, did not participate due to a personal dispute with the slain officer.
Associated Press contributed to the report