SYRIA - May 15 - Al Mezza Attackers Extremists.

In a statement to the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA), an official source at the Ministry of Interior says that the relevant authorities complete their investigations into the "criminal sabotage" act which took place on the evening of Apr 27 in Al Mezza neighborhood, west of Damascus. The attackers were identified as Shlashes, and a cousin, and that they were among Arab volunteers who went to Iraq early in the US-led war on Saddam's regime. The source added that an "isolated extremist fundamentalist group" of 4 Syrians attacked a building used to be a UN headquarters in Al Mezza, where security forces confronted them, and arrested 2 of them. The detainees were identified as Ahmad Shlash Hassan and Izzo Hussein Al Hussein. Ahmad Shlash Hassan, leader of the group said in a televised confession that the attack was motivated by what he said was US and Israeli aggression against Muslims. Hassan said he did not belong to any political group and that the attack was aimed at foreign interests. 2 members of the cell - Ayman Shlash Hassan and Mohammad Hussein Al Nahar were killed. The source said that a woman passerby was killed and another woman was injured in the scene. A policeman was also killed, and two other policemen were wounded. The investigations revealed that 2 other Syrians called Azaam Al Nahar and Abdul Basset Hassida were linked to this group. These 2 men helped and prepared this "criminal act." The investigations also revealed that this group had planted an explosive device at the building of the Financial Affairs Directorate at Quneitra Governorate on the same day, setting the building on fire in order to cover up the robbery of the building committed by Ayman Shlash Hassan who stole more than 10mn Syrian pounds from the Directorate. The official source stressed that security men raided 2 arms caches in Khan Al Shaikh and Muaddamieh in Damascus Countryside Governorate where they seized big amounts of smuggled arms and explosives. (On April 27 security forces exchanged fire with 4 gunmen after they detonated a car bomb outside a former UN building in Damascus).