Syrian authorities said Friday they have arrested the main suspect in the Tadamon massacre, in a security operation carried out in the countryside of Hama. In a statement, the Interior Ministry said internal security forces captured Amjad Youssef, identified as the primary perpetrator behind the mass killings in the Tadamon neighborhood of Damascus.
The massacre
The Tadamon case drew international attention after video footage surfaced documenting the killings during the Syrian war. On April 27, 2022, The Guardian published footage it said had been leaked by a conscript in a pro-government militia, showing members of Military Intelligence Branch 227 executing at least 41 people and burning their bodies. The video showed an intelligence officer, identified as Youssef, shooting blindfolded and bound detainees.
Date of atrocity
The massacre took place on April 16, 2013, when at least 41 people were killed near the Othman Mosque in the Tadamon neighborhood and their bodies thrown into a pit in an empty street, in what became one of the most widely documented atrocities of the conflict.
Accountability efforts
The current Syrian administration has repeatedly announced arrests of individuals accused of committing abuses against civilians during the 2011-2024 conflict, as part of efforts to pursue accountability. Former President Bashar al-Assad, who ruled Syria for nearly 25 years, fled to Russia, bringing an end to the Baath Party’s decades-long rule that began in 1963. A transitional administration led by President Ahmad al-Sharaa was formed in January 2025.