The ministry identified the detainee as Qais Hassan al-Abd al-Rajab, a former brigadier general who previously served as deputy director of the General Intelligence Directorate, also known as State Security.

According to a statement published on the Interior Ministry’s Telegram channel, al-Abd al-Rajab was detained by the Counterterrorism Directorate after what authorities described as extensive tracking operations.

He is accused of involvement in violations against residents of the Damascus countryside, including areas such as Hajar al-Aswad, Daraya and Moadamiyat al-Sham, as well as parts of Daraa province, the ministry said.

Officials said the suspect had attempted to evade arrest prior to his detention, and that investigations are ongoing ahead of legal proceedings and referral to the judiciary.

Interior Minister Anas Khattab said in earlier remarks that security forces continue to pursue individuals accused of crimes committed under the former Assad administration as part of wider accountability efforts.

He added that intelligence and internal security units were conducting surveillance and enforcement operations aimed at bringing suspects before the courts.

The arrest comes amid ongoing efforts by Syrian authorities to investigate alleged abuses committed during the Assad era, including broader transitional justice measures and attempts to document violations against civilians.

The woman was detained in May at a rented residence on the tourist island of Lombok after police learned she had received a delivery containing liquid cannabis, narcotics officer I Nyoman Diana Mahardika said on Thursday.

According to police, the suspect told investigators that she used the cannabis vape product to alleviate knee pain and depression. Authorities said the explanation would not exempt her from prosecution under Indonesian law, which prohibits the possession, use and distribution of marijuana and cannabis-derived products.

“She must comply with the laws and regulations in force in our country. As for narcotics such as marijuana, it must not be possessed, used, or traded within our jurisdiction,” Mahardika said.

If convicted, the woman faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a fine of up to two billion rupiah ($111,000), according to police.

The case underscores the legal risks facing foreign nationals in Indonesia, which maintains some of the world’s toughest anti-drug regulations. The country retains the death penalty for drug trafficking offenses, although it has not carried out an execution since 2016.

Indonesia currently has dozens of convicted drug traffickers on death row. The last executions were conducted in 2016, when authorities executed four drug convicts by firing squad, including three Nigerian nationals and one Indonesian citizen.

The arrest follows other recent narcotics prosecutions involving foreign nationals. In March, two British men were sentenced to nine and 11 years in prison after being found guilty of smuggling cocaine to the resort island of Bali.

Authorities did not provide further details regarding the source of the cannabis liquid or indicate when formal charges may be filed.

21-years-old medical student, Emine Şahin, was arrested for speaking out and declining to maintain one minute silence commemorating the death of pro-Israeli first president of Turkey – Mustafa Kemal Atatürk – who died on 10 November 1938.

She peacefully protested, “Ataturk is not God. There are Allah’s laws and he took laws from the West.”

Atatürk is known as the father of the modern Turkey who exiled the last monarch of the Ottoman Empire – Khalifah Abdulmajid II – and made a public speech brazenly criticizing Islam and Prophet Mohammed.

During his first speech he said, “For nearly five hundred years, these rules and theories of an Arab Shaikh and the interpretations of generations of lazy and good-for-nothing priests have decided the civil and criminal law of Turkey.”

He further said, “Islam – this theology of an immoral Arab – is a dead thing. Possibly it might have suited tribes in the desert. It is no good for modern, progressive state. God’s revelation! There is no God! These are only the chains by which the priests and bad rulers bound the people down.”

He believed that Prophet Mohammed brought Islam to empower Arabs and to form an Arab political movement. Due to his ardent anti-Arab sentiments, he became a pro-Israeli ideologue.

Şahin said in a police statement, “remembering Apostate Atatürk in such a ceremony was against Muslims beliefs, and I did not regret what I said,” T24 reported.

Disrespecting Atatürk is deemed as a serious offence in Turkish constitution by the article 5816.

However, President of Turkey Tayyib Erdoğan promised to ‘protect the legacy’ of Atatürk during the anniversary.

“We consider it a duty to give Atatürk due credit as the commander-in-chief of our Independence War and the founder of our Republic, in front of our nation. Our nation’s respect for Atatürk is eternal,” Erdoğan said.

“There is nothing more natural than respect for a name who was leader of such a struggle to have a valuable place in the nation’s hearts,” he added.

45-years-old – Dr. Nowhera Shaik also known as ‘Aapa’ – CEO of Heera Group and President of All India Mahila Empowerment Party, was arrested on a transit warrant when she was escaping India from Delhi.

Hyderabad city police commissioner Anjani Kumar held a press conference on Tuesday, and said, “during investigation evidence of diversion of funds have come to light. Evidence has also been found of purchase of assets in different names of Individuals as well as companies.”

“Many Investors have not been paid their dues since last few months by accused companies The companies and other accused have not cooperated with the police or provided relevant information during the course of the investigation. The main accused also made efforts to mislead the police and avoid the investigation,” he added.

Mrs. Shaik promised 35 percent annual returns on the investments. She also promised to reform the Muslim economy to make it completely ‘interest-free’.

She failed to fulfill her promises and kept dodging the investors.

The Group has received the life-time savings of thousands of retirees, widows and single-mothers, as investments.

A distressed widow in Hyderabad said, “my house rent is Rs.11000, and Aapa (Shaik) has been delaying payments for the past three months. The house owner will kick us out.”

Some of the investors express extreme anger over the ‘promoters’ who certified the business as Halaal, which urged them to invest crores of their savings.

Thousands of investors, who sold their real-estate, were taken a back after the news of her arrest broke.

Her critics allegedly blame her for spending the investments in launching her party – MEP, renting Bollywood actors for her promotional events, and sponsoring cricket tournaments in Sharjah-UAE.

According to a report by GulfNews, UAE-based investors are in deep-trouble after her arrest has been announced by Hyderabad Police in a press-conference on Tuesday afternoon.

An investor who works in Dubai told media that he fears he had become an unwitting victim of an elaborate Ponzi scheme.

“I lost Dh200,000. It was all I had. I am ruined,” he wept.

“They told us they will invest our money in gold and textile and give us monthly profits. I joined them sometime back by investing Dh100,000. Initially they paid me around Dh3,000 monthly but soon the payments dried out,” another investor said.

An Abu-Dhabi based NRI said he is worried about the Dh500,000 he invested with Heera Gold’s Jumeirah Lake Towers office.

They have demanded strict legal action to be taken against Mrs. Shaik.

“We have no other option but to fight legally,” said a Dubai-based Indian businessman.

Last month, market regulator Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) clarified that the activities of Heera Gold were Ponzi.