Syrian authorities have arrested a former military official accused of being directly responsible for the execution of detainees at the infamous Sednaya prison during the rule of former President Bashar al-Assad.  

The Interior Ministry said Wednesday that the Damascus province counterterrorism branch arrested Maj. Gen. Akram Salloum al-Abdullah. The ministry described the operation as “meticulous,” citing close monitoring and continuous surveillance that led to the arrest of Abdullah.  

Abdullah held various posts under Assad's rule, most notably as commander of the Military Police at the Ministry of Defense from 2014 to 2015. The ministry alleged that Abdullah was directly responsible for carrying out executions of detainees at Sednaya during his tenure. 

Earlier this year, an unverified document dated April 2014 circulated on social media, purportedly authored and signed by Abdullah, requesting a “cooling” room to store up to 50 dead bodies at Sednaya, citing the corpses' smell as a hindrance to transporting them to hospital morgues. The document was addressed to Gen. Ali Abdullah Ayoud, then-chief of staff of the army and armed forces.