The former Syrian president Bashar al-Assad was hospitalized in Moscow following an alleged poisoning attempt, claims the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR). The deposed dictator, who received political asylum in Russia after being overthrown from power ten months ago, is said to have recently been discharged from a hospital in the Russian capital, reports digi24.ro.
According to SOHR, the information was obtained from a “private source” who stated that Assad “was poisoned”, and the assassination attempt was aimed at “putting the Russian government in difficulty and accusing it of complicity” in his death.
The Russian government has not commented on this information so far.
Bashar al-Assad fled to Russia, one of his main allies in the civil war, after being ousted by jihadist rebels. Since then, he has not appeared in public. The new authorities in Damascus have requested his extradition, but the Kremlin has rejected the request.
The former Syrian president, his wife, and hundreds of relatives and close associates from the political, military, and business environment are on a list of 417 individuals and entities targeted by British sanctions. In 2020, the High Court in London was informed that Assad holds a frozen account at HSBC, with over 51.5 million dollars (40 million pounds sterling).