Assad prays after assassination claims...
Syria was forced to deny Bashar al-Assad was the target of an attempted assassination in a rebel rocket attack yesterday as state television broadcast pictures of a nervous-looking president attending mosque prayers.
Bashar al-Assad attends Eid al-Fitr prayers in the mosque of Anas Ibn Malek in Damascus, Syria. Photo: SANA/EPA
Two armed groups claimed they had hit Mr Assad's presidential vehicles with artillery as he travelled through the upmarket Malki area of Damascus to attend prayers at the start of Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr.
To deny the claim, Syrian state television broadcast images of the president in the Anas Bin Malek mosque, praying alongside senior Baath party officials and the Grand Mufti of Syria. In the brief video recording, the Syrian leader was seen to move quickly and, while smiling and shaking hands, his eyes darted nervously as he began praying.
It was not possible to independently confirm exactly when the footage was taken, whether before or after the alleged attack.
Omran Zoabi, the Syrian information minister, denied an attack had even taken place, deriding the claims as "dreams and illusions".
"The president arrived at the mosque driving his own car, he attended the prayer and greeted everyone in the mosque as he does every day when he meets people," Mr Zoabi said...
(The Telegraph)
Commenti