LONDON: Syrian authorities arrested the alleged leaders of a criminal group affiliated with militant organization the Coastal Shield Brigade in the city of Latakia on Monday.

Jaafar Ali Alia (also known as Lt. Abbas), Rashid Ghiath Alia and Ali Abdul Sattar Khalilo are accused by the Ministry of Interior of targeting internal security sites and the army in Latakia governorate.

“The cell’s members appeared in video clips threatening to carry out terrorist attacks against sites belonging to the Ministries of Interior and Defense,” the Interior Ministry said.

Authorities allege that Miqdad Fatiha, a former Syrian Republican Guard commander and head of the Coastal Shield Brigade, provided the cell with financial and logistical support.

Fatiha has been on the run since the collapse of the Assad regime in December 2024. Last month, the UK imposed sanctions on him and several other former Assad regime officials over their involvement in violence in Syrian coastal towns that resulted the deaths of hundreds of people in March 2025.

On Sunday, authorities arrested Haider Ali Othman in Al-Qardaha, the hometown of the Assad clan, on charges of inciting violence and chaos during protests last month in Latakia.