Syrian security forces have arrested Ali Kayali, also known as Mihrac Ural, a prominent figure accused of involvement in the 2013 Baniyas massacres, as he allegedly attempted to flee across the border, the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) reported.

The General Intelligence Service arrested Ural, who led an armed militia that fought alongside forces loyal to the ousted regime of Bashar al-Assad during the Syrian revolution, according to SANA.

The militia was accused of committing multiple massacres against civilians across Syria, including in the Al-Bayda and Ras al-Nabaa areas of Baniyas in 2013.

According to the Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR), 264 civilians, including 36 children and 28 women, were killed in the Al-Bayda massacre. A further 195 civilians, including 56 children and 43 women, were killed in Ras al-Nabaa.

Witness accounts and reports described bodies scattered across roads, inside shops and in basements. They also documented summary executions using firearms and bladed weapons, as well as the burning of homes and bodies.

Militias affiliated with Ural were also accused of carrying out attacks and massacres in the countryside of Latakia, Aleppo and Idlib, leaving hundreds of people dead or wounded.

Ural, who was born in 1956 in Türkiye’s southern Hatay province, fled to Syria in 1982 and later received special privileges under the Assad regime. He was related by marriage to the former regime’s leadership through his wife, known as Malak al-Fadel.

He is also the main suspect in the twin bombings that struck Reyhanlı, in Hatay, in May 2013, killing 52 people, according to Anadolu Agency.

The arrest comes amid a broader effort to pursue individuals suspected of involvement in crimes against civilians during the former regime’s rule. Earlier this month, Turkish intelligence arrested Omar al-Khatib, described as one of the planners of the Reyhanlı bombings, as he allegedly attempted to flee by sea to Europe. Al-Khatib was accused of coordinating between the attackers and members of the former regime’s intelligence services.

On October 4, Syrian security forces also arrested Jamal Tarabulsi, identified as Ural’s deputy.

Syria’s Interior Ministry has said security forces are continuing to pursue individuals suspected of violations against civilians during the former regime’s rule as part of efforts to advance transitional justice and hold those responsible for crimes accountable. (ILKHA)