HAMA COUNTRYSIDE — Syrian authorities arrested Amjad Youssef, the main suspect accused of the 2013 Tadamon massacre in Damascus, during a security operation in the Hama countryside. At least 41 people were killed in the massacre.

The operation involved surveillance and tracking across the Al-Ghab Plain in Hama over several days, the interior ministry said. Footage circulating on social media showed Youssef handcuffed on the floor and then in a vehicle surrounded by security forces, with traces of blood on his face.

Youssef served as an intelligence officer under Bashar al-Assad and was responsible for security operations in southern Damascus during the Syrian uprising. He was trained in military intelligence and rose through the ranks to become an investigator. He has been accused of numerous crimes against civilians. The Tadamon district was a battlefront between Syrian government forces and opposition forces in 2013.

In 2022, a leaked video appeared to show evidence of crimes committed by Syrian forces. In the footage, Youssef was seen shooting detained, blindfolded civilians with their hands bound. The video was date-stamped April 16, 2013, the day of the Tadamon massacre. A military recruit filmed the shooting and leaked the video after fleeing Syria. Some families recognised their relatives being killed in the video after its release. The investigation into the video lasted three years and was conducted in cooperation with the Syrian Centre for Justice and Accountability.

Following the fall of Assad in December 2024, Youssef went into hiding. Syria's new government subsequently began a security campaign to pursue figures of the former leadership. Several people suspected of involvement in the Tadamon massacre have since been arrested and confessed to the killings. Citizens also launched a public fundraising campaign offering a reward to anyone who could locate those accused of atrocities, primarily Youssef.

In August 2023, German police arrested Ahmed al-Harmouni, a friend of Youssef also accused of taking part in the massacre. Also in December 2024, Human Rights Watch visited the southern Damascus neighbourhood and found human remains showing signs consistent with execution. The organisation called on the transitional authorities to preserve evidence of war crimes.