“Major criminal plot”: Syria’s intelligence thwarts ISIS attempt to bomb Sayyida Zainab Shrine

Shafaq News/ An ISIS's plot to carry out an explosion inside the Shrine of Sayyida Zainab in Damascus, was thwarted, a source from the Syrian General Intelligence Directorate reported on Saturday.

The official Syrian news agency SANA quoted the source, stating, “The Intelligence Directorate, in coordination with the Public Security Department in rural Damascus, successfully thwarted ISIS's attempt to carry out a bombing at the shrine.”

“The operation resulted in the arrest of individuals involved in this major criminal plot targeting the Syrian people,” he added.

In July 2023, ISIS claimed responsibility for two bombings in the Sayyida Zainab area, confirming its involvement in the deaths of 10 people and the injuries of dozens more, mostly Shiite visitors.

At that time, the Ministry of Interior of the previous government reported that six people were killed and 23 others injured in a motorcycle explosion in the Sayyida Zainab area. A second bombing reportedly occurred 48 hours later in a similar manner injuring two individuals.