Syria Publishes Confession in 2013 Tadamon Mass Killing Case

(MENAFN) The Syrian Interior Ministry released a recorded confession in which Amjad Youssef admitted involvement in the 2013 killings in the Tadamon district of Damascus, acknowledging that detainees were executed and their bodies burned in an attempt to conceal the crime, according to reports.

The footage was shared on the platform X under the label “Tadamon butcher,” shortly after authorities announced his arrest during a security operation in the Hama countryside.

Youssef, who served as a first assistant within Military Intelligence’s Branch 227, confirmed that he was the individual seen in previously leaked video evidence documenting the incident.

“The person who appeared in the video circulating on social media is me,” he said in the recorded confession.

He explained that he acted alongside Najeeb Al-Halabi, stating that dozens of detainees accused of supporting armed groups were transported to the execution site.

According to his account, the victims were taken to a pit prepared with heavy machinery, where they were shot one by one before being disposed of inside.

“We placed tires under them, then more tires on top and set them on fire so that no smell would spread in the area,” said Youssef.

Youssef also claimed that he neither selected the victims himself nor received explicit instructions from a direct superior, asserting that names were provided based on accusations of aiding armed groups financially or otherwise.

Authorities recently confirmed his detention, identifying him as a central figure in the killings that took place in Tadamon. The case gained widespread attention after video footage surfaced in 2022 showing the executions and subsequent burning of bodies.

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