MAHER ‘Ruthless’ brother of President Assad accused of being behind chemical weapons attack which killed 1,200 Syrians

Mail online – Daily mail –  27.8.2013 – An Israeli television channel has alleged that Maher al-Assad was behind the chemical attack

The brother of President Bashar al-Assad has been accused of being behind the chemical weapons attack which killed thousands of Syrians. Maher al-Assad, a feared figure within the regime, has not been seen for more than a year.

But an Israeli television channel has alleged that he was behind the attack which killed up to 1,200 in Damascus last week – including many children. The commander of the 10,000 strong Republican Guard and the Fourth Armoured Division Maher has been a core figure in Syria’s two and half year civil war.

The Channel 2 news report claimed that the shelling originated from the base of the Fourth Armoured Division, just south of Damascus. Syria has denied using stocks of sarin to shell the area.

It would not be the first time that Maher – said to be his brother’s ‘enforcer’ – had been linked with some of the war’s bloodiest episodes, the Guardian reports.

Maher Assad, who is known for his brutality and commands key government units fighting against the Syrian rebels, was injured in the Damascus bombing on July 18, 2012,  which also claimed the life of his brother-in-law Assef Shawkat and the defence minister Dawoud Rajha.

It has been reported that at the time of the 2011 uprising Maher was spotted shooting at unarmed protesters.
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