Tension mounts in Syria's Latakia over killing of military officer

Over a thousand Syrians staged a sit-in in Syria's coastal Latakia city on Saturday, protesting against the killing of a Syrian officer by a suspected relative of President Bashar al-Assad over a fit of road rage, a monitor group and local media reported.

The people gathered at the al-Zera'a roundabout in the city of Latakia Saturday evening, holding posters of the slain Colonel Hassan al-Sheikh in the air forces, and chanting in support of the Syrian army, while urging the authorities to bring to justice Slaiman al-Assad, son of Hilal al-Assad, the cousin of President Bashar, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and the pro-government Sham FM radio reported.

A video of the protest in Latakia was posted online by pro-government webpages, in which the protesters were screaming "the people want the execution of Slaiman."

The protesters also lite candles and hoisted Syrian flags.

On Thursday evening, the suspected Slaiman al-Assad gunned down Colonel al-Sheikh over a road rage incident in Latakia.

Al-Sheikh's brother, who was riding with him at the time of the incident, told Sham FM radio during an interview broadcast live that around 7:15 p.m. local time Thursday, he and his brother were driving on the beach's road and arrived at the Afamia area when a big Toyota flashed lights behind them and honked the horn at the colonel's car to move from its way.

The colonel was unable to make a turn because there was a checkpoint to his right and cars to his left, "but the driver behind us seemed insisted on honking his horn at us."

A 100 meters ahead, and before reaching the Azhari roundabout, the car passed us by and hit the breaks in front of us, prompting the colonel to disembark from his car and head toward the Toyota driver.

"He told him I am Colonel Hassan al-Sheikh, but the Toyota driver badmouthed him and the Syrian army, pulling his Kalashnikov and firing toward us," the colonel's brother told the radio.

"The shot was fetal and my brother died instantly," he said, adding that the colonel's twins were riding with them and the whole thing happened in front of them.

"When the military police was investigating, I gave them the full descriptions of the killer and the car's brand. The second day I came to realize that it was Slaiman al-Assad who shot him. I am sure of that when I saw a picture of him. My niece also recognized him," he recounted.

The colonel's brother said he filed an official complaint, accusing Slaiman al-Assad of killing his brother. Reports said eye witnesses on streets also recognized the perpetrator as Slaiman al-Assad.

"Our demand is for the criminal to receive a first degree penalty and get executed because he should be treated as a terrorist for killing a Syrian army officer," the brother said.

Meanwhile, the governor of Latakia Ibrahim Khuder told local media that investigation is underway to bring the perpetrator to justice "no matter who he is," stopping short of naming Slaiman.

Slaiman is the son of Hilal al-Assad, the former head of the paramilitary National Defense Forces (NDF), who was killed earlier this year when a rocket slammed his position in the countryside of Latakia.

Slaiman is a young man known of his recklessness and bad reputation among the young men in the Latakia University, according to the Observatory.

Even though the protesters on Saturday chanted in support of the President Assad and the Syrian army, the resentment over the incident has aroused tension in Latakia, due to its strategic importance to the Syrian administration as it's the hometown of President Assad and the heartland of this Alawite minority, which has suffered the losses of many of its young men in the battles against the insurgency.

Protesters said they will keep their sit-in active till bringing Slaiman to justice, according to the Observatory.