6 Martyred, 20 Wounded in Terrorist Blast against Lebanese Visitors to Syria Holy Shrines

Local Editor

A terrorist blast ripped through a bus carrying Lebanese visitors in Damascus on Sunday, martyring at least six people, in an attack claimed by the terrorist al-Qaeda's Syrian branch.

In Beirut, the Oshaq al-Hussein visitors' agency that organized the trip said all the passengers on the bus were Lebanese, identifying the martyrs as Mohammed Ahmed Meqdad, Mahdi Youssef Meqdad, Qassem Hatoum, Ali Abbas Ballouq, Shadi Houmani and Mohammed Hassan Ayyoub.

"They set out from Beirut at 5:30 am this morning," agency employee Fadi Khaireddin said, adding that the bus had space for 52 pilgrims, as well as the driver and trip administrator.

He further added, "The bus is usually full, though he could not confirm how many people were on the trip this weekend.

He said the bus had made its first stop at the Sayyeda Roqaya Holy Shrine and was heading to the Sayyeda Zeinab Holy shrine in southeast Damascus when the attack occurred.

Khaireddin said the group had been making regular trips throughout the Syrian conflict, with groups leaving each weekend for a day-long visit to Holy shrines.
Al-Nusra Front, the affiliate of al-Qaeda Syria, claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement posted online.

Syrian state media, which reported a toll of six martyrs and 19 wounded, said the blast was caused by an explosive device rather than a suicide bomber.

State news agency SANA said officials had found and defused a second bomb that had been placed inside the bus before it detonated.

Syrian state television showed footage from the scene of the blast, with men in military uniforms picking through the wreckage of the bus.

Its front half was mostly blown off, leaving only the metal frame, and bags of belongings were strewn across the remaining seats.

The channel also showed images from inside a hospital where the wounded were being treated, including a woman whose black robes had been lifted up, revealing a blood soaked undershirt.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team