Syrian authorities have detained Egyptian militant Ahmed al-Mansour, who had previously fought with Islamist factions against the regime of Bashar al-Assad, following threats he made on social media directed at Egypt’s government. The arrest was confirmed by a Syrian interior ministry source and an Arab security official on Wednesday.
Al-Mansour, who posted a video this week threatening that Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi would suffer the same fate as Assad, was taken into custody for this and other online posts. He is currently being held in a detention facility.
This move is seen as a step toward calming concerns in Cairo over the rise of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the rebel group that ousted Assad last month, particularly amid Egypt’s ongoing crackdown on the Muslim Brotherhood.
Although Egyptian officials have expressed general support for the Syrian people, state-controlled media have been critical of the power shift in Damascus, fearing a resurgence of the Muslim Brotherhood under the new Syrian leadership.
According to the Arab security source, “The arrest was carried out by Syrian authorities, but the message was influenced by the Egyptian media campaign, which views this issue as a matter of utmost importance.”