On the day of Macron's visit to Damascus, the organizers of the terrorist act are "located in Russia." Will Moscow extradite them?
11-07-2026 14:34 Politics
1in.am On July 7, as the French presidential convoy was approaching the Syrian presidential palace, two explosions erupted in Damascus. According to reports, "two homemade explosive devices were placed ten meters apart on a parallel street to Emmanuel Macron's route, which were detonated when security personnel were preparing to defuse them."
According to the English-language newspaper The National, published in the United Arab Emirates, "Syrian law enforcement agencies are inclined to the theory that the terrorism was organized by people close to former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, who currently reside in Russia." This was reported by the Russian newspaper Kommersant.
It was previously reported that the presidents of France and Syria had agreed that part of the value of the property of one of the influential figures close to Bashar al-Assad, currently under arrest in France, amounting to around fifty million euros, would be allocated to the Syrian government "for humanitarian projects."
According to information from an Arab media outlet, Bashar al-Assad's cousin Rami Makhlouf is suspected of organizing the terrorism in Damascus. Last year, he initiated the "formation of a front for the resistance of the Alawites." It is not definitively known that Makhlouf resides in Russia.
The terrorist act organized on the day of the French president's visit to Damascus may have a broader context. The current Syrian authorities enjoy the support of the West. It is not excluded that there are forces in the close circle of transitional president Ahmad al-Sharaa who do not accept Syria's secular choice and have tried to demonstrate that "it is not safe in Damascus." It is possible that the attempt at terrorism was also beneficial to those who oppose French influence in the Arab country.
If the investigation reveals that the attempt at terrorism was organized by people close to Bashar al-Assad who have sought asylum in Russia, then it is highly likely that the Syrian authorities will demand their extradition.
* This text was automatically translated by Artificial Intelligence (AI).
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