An armed group released the elderly man Salah Aslan (70 years old) after detaining him for nearly a week. The incident occurred on October 23, 2025, in front of his home in the Yassin Project area of the Awqaf neighborhood in the city of Latakia, western Syria.
Surveillance footage shows the kidnapping carried out by an armed group wearing the uniforms of the Public Security Forces affiliated with the Interim Authority (Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham). The victim was forcibly taken into a vehicle and transported to an unknown location in broad daylight, while members of the group pointed their weapons at a civilian who tried to intervene.
The victim, Salah Aslan, belongs to the Alawite sect and is described as a wealthy man originally from the city of Qardaha. He is also a relative of Ali Aslan, who previously held the rank of General in the former Syrian regime’s army. The incident comes amid a surge in sectarian violence and kidnapping crimes targeting minorities in Syria following Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham’s assumption of power.
