Syria detains an official from the Assad period who is said to have started the 2011 rebellion

Syria’s 2011 revolt was sparked by a crackdown on protesters in the southern city of Daraa, which led to the arrest of a former top security officer and cousin of deposed leader Bashar al-Assad, according to official media.

General Security troops detained Atef Najib, a brigadier general and former head of the Political Security Department in Daraa, in the western province of Latakia, according to official broadcaster SANA.

The new government in Syria has arrested scores of people, primarily fighters or low-level personnel, as part of security crackdowns in several areas that it claims are intended to capture remaining members of the previous administration.

Since Islamist rebels Hayat Tahrir al-Sham overthrew the former president in a lightning strike last year, Najib is the most senior member of Assad’s old political or security organizations to be arrested.

Since then, HTS commander Ahmed al-Sharaa has been named president for the transitional period and has promised to detain previous government officials who are suspected of committing crimes.

According to Mustafa Knaifati, the head of General Security in Latakia, “this step comes within the framework of the authorities’ efforts to hold accountable those involved in violations against the Syrian people and enhance security and stability in the region,” SANA said.

Najib was turned over to the appropriate authorities to stand trial, according to SANA.

A countrywide rebellion that was brutally put down by the Assad administration was triggered by the 2011 detention and torture of a group of Syrian lads in Daraa, where Najib served as security commander.

Najib was sanctioned by the United States in 2011 for allegedly participating in violations of human rights in Syria.