Syrian police foil jihadist terror attack on Catholic church

Suspect apprehended while attempting to carry out a terror attack at St. Elias Catholic Church in Syria. Photo: sana.sy

On August 6, 2025, security forces in Syria’s Tartus Province thwarted an attempted bombing of the Catholic (Maronite) Church of St. Elias in the village of Khuraybat, according to Syrian news agency Sana.

According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, two men suspected of ties to radical Islamist groups were apprehended on their way to the church with a ready-made explosive device.

The operation took place in the Safita area. Authorities also seized propaganda leaflets containing threats against the local Christian population, along with a black flag commonly used by jihadist organizations that had previously operated in other regions of the country.

Colonel Abdel-Aal Muhammad, commander of the internal security forces, stated: “We prevented an attack that could have resulted in casualties and destabilized the situation. The perpetrators were detained before they could detonate the device.”

He added that the suspects belong to an underground network connected to radical remnants of groups previously active in Syria with external backing. He stressed that attempts to attack symbolic targets such as churches are designed to incite sectarian strife and intimidate the population.

Earlier, the UOJ reported that terrorists in Syria had killed 15 people in an attack on an Orthodox church.

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