According to Lebanese media reports, Nasser al-Ariqi was arrested in Homs after clashes broke out between Syrian forces and armed gangs on Saturday.
Al-Ariqi has been said to be the commander of a heavily armed terrorist group in the Syrian city. The armed group has been trying to remove the Syrian army’s security checkpoints using heavy weaponry.
The Syrian government has repeatedly accused several Arab states including Saudi Arabia and Qatar of fueling the unrest in Syria by providing armed gangs in the country with weapons and financial resources to incite civil war and topple the government of President Bashar al-Asad.
Syria has been experiencing unrest since mid-March, with demonstrations being held both against and in favor of President Bashar al-Assad. Hundreds of people, including security forces, have been killed in the unrest.
The West and the Syrian opposition accuse the government of killing the protesters. But Damascus blames ”outlaws, saboteurs and armed terrorist groups” for the unrest, insisting that it is being orchestrated from abroad.
