Man arrested after shooting at Kurdish flag in northeastern Syria
Shafaq News- Hasakah
Syrian Kurdish security forces (Asayish) arrested a man on Sunday after a video showed him shooting at a Kurdish flag in Qamishli, sparking protests and tensions across northeast Syria.
In a statement, Asayish said they detained the suspect in a coordinated operation with Syrian security agencies at 03:00 a.m. local time after “intelligence-led tracking.”
The footage, widely circulated on social media, showed Hussein Al-Hesso, a tribal figure from the Arab Al-Rashid clan south of Qamishli, firing a machine gun at a Kurdish flag displayed at a roundabout at the city’s entrance during a reception for a tribal leader, Shafaq News correspondent said.
The video triggered widespread anger among Kurds, who viewed the act as an attack on Kurdish symbols and a provocation aimed at inflaming tensions between Arab and Kurdish communities in Hasakah province. Hundreds of Kurds staged protests overnight in Hasakah, Kobani, Qamishli, Amuda and Derik, calling on the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and Syrian authorities to arrest and hold those responsible accountable.
SDF media center spokesperson Farhad Shami called for immediate action against Al-Hesso, describing him as a supporter of former Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad and accusing him of links to criminal activity.
Following the incident, tribal leader Mohammed Saeed Al-Hesso appeared in a video rejecting all forms of provocation and expressing support for efforts to integrate the Kurdish-led SDF into Syrian state institutions to strengthen stability.
Tribal sources told Shafaq News that Al-Hesso had been aligned with the Al-Assad government and was accused of recruiting fighters for pro-government and Iranian-backed armed groups, as well as detaining opposition youths and mediating their release for money. Activists also circulated images and statements attributed to Al-Hesso expressing support for Al-Assad and Iran, and opposition to US and Turkish presence in Syria and to anti-Assad factions.
