US NGO says Syriac Orthodox bishop was held by Assad authorities

Yasmeen Altaji | Dec. 25, 2024 | Photo courtesy of Aid to the Church in Need

A US-based nonprofit has said it believes Yohanna Ibrahim, a bishop of the Syriac Orthodox Church kidnapped in 2013, was held by Assad authorities, Agence-France Press reported. 

The nonprofit Hostage Aid Worldwide on Tuesday told reporters in Damascus that it believed Ibrahim, a dual Syrian-US citizen, “was being held by the former authorities under ousted president Bashar Al Assad”, according to a report from AFP. Ibrahim was kidnapped in April 2013 alongside Greek Orthodox bishop Boulos Yazigi. 

"He is a US citizen," the group's Nizar Zakka told reporters in Damascus, adding Mr Ibrahim "was seen in 2018 in Branch 291" of the security forces, according to AFP.

The Word could not independently verify reports. 

Since the collapse of the Assad regime this month after a lightning rebel offensive, Syrians have come online with information about detainees and others disappeared under the

The country is home to an ethnically and religiously diverse population, including Assyrians primarily concentrated in Aleppo, Damascus, and towns in the Kurdish-led northeast.