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Tunisia’s Anti-terrorism Police Detain Former PM Larayedh

Ali Larayedh (C) Secretary General of the Tunisian party Ennahda and former Tunisian prime minister speaks while surrounded by his supporters, upon his arrival for questioning by anti-terrorism police, in Tunis,Tunisia, 19 September 2022. (EPA)
Ali Larayedh (C) Secretary General of the Tunisian party Ennahda and former Tunisian prime minister speaks while surrounded by his supporters, upon his arrival for questioning by anti-terrorism police, in Tunis,Tunisia, 19 September 2022. (EPA)
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Tunisia’s Anti-terrorism Police Detain Former PM Larayedh

Ali Larayedh (C) Secretary General of the Tunisian party Ennahda and former Tunisian prime minister speaks while surrounded by his supporters, upon his arrival for questioning by anti-terrorism police, in Tunis,Tunisia, 19 September 2022. (EPA)
Ali Larayedh (C) Secretary General of the Tunisian party Ennahda and former Tunisian prime minister speaks while surrounded by his supporters, upon his arrival for questioning by anti-terrorism police, in Tunis,Tunisia, 19 September 2022. (EPA)

Tunisia's anti-terrorism police detained for one day Ali Larayedh, a former prime minister and senior official in the Islamist opposition Ennahda party, after an investigation into suspicions of sending extremists to Syria, lawyers said on Tuesday.

In the same case, the police postponed the hearing of Ennahda leader and speaker of the dissolved parliament Rached Ghannouchi to midday on Tuesday, after waiting for about 14 hours.

It is expected that Larayedh will appear before a judge on Wednesday, lawyer Mokthar Jmayi told Reuters.

"We are shocked. The file is completely empty and without any evidence", Samir Dilou, another lawyer said.

Ennahda denies accusations of terrorism, calling it a political attack on a foe of President Kais Saied.

Ghannouchi, 81, has accused Saied of an anti-democratic coup since he seized most powers last summer, shutting down the parliament and moving to rule by decree, powers he has largely formalized with a new constitution ratified in a July referendum.

Last month, several former security officials and two Ennahda members were arrested on charges connected to Tunisians traveling to fight for extremist groups.

Security and official sources estimated that around 6,000 Tunisians traveled to Syria and Iraq last decade to join radical groups including ISIS. Many were killed there while others escaped and returned to Tunisia.

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SOHR: Document Reveals Assad Family Smuggled Millions to Moscow

The historic Hotel Ukraina in central Moscow (Wikipedia)
The historic Hotel Ukraina in central Moscow (Wikipedia)
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SOHR: Document Reveals Assad Family Smuggled Millions to Moscow

The historic Hotel Ukraina in central Moscow (Wikipedia)
The historic Hotel Ukraina in central Moscow (Wikipedia)

A confidential document obtained by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) has revealed massive money smuggling operations carried out via Syrian Airlines to Moscow.
The operations are described as among the most corrupt financial transfers orchestrated by the now-defunct Syrian regime.
According to the document, the majority of the funds stem from profits made through the production and trade of Captagon, a highly lucrative illicit drug.
The head of SOHR, Rami Abdel Rahman, told Asharq Al-Awsat that the most recent transfer took place just four days before Syrian President Bashar al-Assad fled to Moscow in December of last year.
Rami Abdel Rahman also affirmed that the leaked document underscores the “deep involvement of the former Syrian regime in illegal activities.”
He added that further investigations could uncover a vast network of secret financial operations used to transfer large sums of money from Syria to Russia and other countries under official cover and without oversight.
“The regime, led by the ousted Assad and his brother, spearheaded drug-related investments, particularly through the production, promotion, and export of Captagon,” Abdel Rahman told Asharq Al-Awsat.
He explained that one key route involved a small port near the Afamia chalets on Syria's coast, which previously belonged to Rifaat al-Assad, the brother of late former President Hafez al-Assad.
From there, shipments were sent via smugglers to Italian ports, where collaborating traders distributed the drugs globally.
A Syrian source based in Russia, closely monitoring the regime’s activities and investments there, said the content of the leaked document is not new but that its official confirmation adds weight to prior claims.
“Western media had previously reported on the regime’s money-smuggling operations, which led to some loyalists being added to international sanctions lists, particularly regime-linked businessmen like Mudalal Khouri,” the source, who requested anonymity, told Asharq Al-Awsat.
Sanctions were also imposed on individuals accused of money laundering for the regime.
The source confirmed that the operations were conducted using Syrian Airlines flights to Moscow.
“There were dozens of such flights, each loaded with hard currency—mostly US dollars and €500 euro notes,” the source said.
The money was reportedly delivered directly from the airport to the Syrian regime's embassy in Moscow, where it was distributed to loyalist businessmen.
These funds were then invested in Russian and Belarusian banks, real estate, and commercial properties. Some of the money was also used to establish companies in both countries.
The operations were allegedly overseen by Mohammed Makhlouf, the maternal uncle of Assad.