Suicide attack targets former head of Kurdish Journalists Union in Syria’s Tirbespi

12-05-2014 – ARA News – Erbil, Iraqi Kurdistan− The house of Lewend Hussein, former head of the Journalists Union of Syrian Kurds (JUSK), was bombed on Friday evening in the town of Tirbespi/Qahtaniyah in Hasakah province, northeast of Syria.After the explosion, the forces of the Assayish (security arm of the Democratic Union Party PYD) surrounded the neighbourhood where the house is located.

Local activists, based in Tirbespi, told ARA News that a suicider, wearing an explosive belt, blew himself up in front of the house. “He (the suicider) was riding a motorcycle stopped in front of the outer door of the house and then exploded his belt,” locals added.

The General Command of the PYD-linked Assayish released a statement on its official site saying that the citizen Ramadan Mohammed Hassan was killed in the suicide attack. “Investigations continue in the case and the results will be announced right after completing questioning,” the statement read. On the other hand, Lewend Hussein (whose house was bombed) wrote on his personal Facebook page that the Assayish forces searched the remaining rooms of his house after the explosion, and confiscated all his books and personal belongings.

“Two of my brothers were investigated for more than six hours, while several friends of mine are still in detention allegedly on the background of this issue,” Hussein reported. “Hozan Hamza Tahir, Dara Fawzi, Mahmoud Abbas, Rinas Mohammed, Zaki Murad and others are held in detention.”  Hussein appealed to the General Command of the Assayish to free all detainees, “because they absolutely have nothing to do with the bombing”. Hussein also demanded the Assayish to return his books and his personal property which were confiscated by the PYD-linked Assayish after the bombing.

Reporting by: Azad Jamkari – Source: ARA News