DAMASCUS: Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-General Command officials said Syrian Arab Republic authorities on Saturday briefly detained the head of the faction, which was close to ousted ruler Bashar Assad鈥檚 government.
Talal Naji鈥檚 detention came just weeks after Palestinian group Islamic Jihad鈥檚 armed wing said the new authorities had held two of its officials on unspecified charges.
The United States, which considers Palestinian factions including the PFLP-GC to be 鈥渢errorist鈥� organizations, has said Washington will not ease Assad-era sanctions on Syria until it has verified progress on priorities including acting against 鈥渢errorism.鈥�
An official from the Damascus-based PFLP-GC, requesting anonymity as the matter is sensitive, told AFP that 鈥渟ecretary-general Talal Naji was arrested鈥� in the city.
Another official confirmed the arrest, while a third faction source said 鈥淣aji was asked... to report to one of the security branches and has not returned. Most likely he was arrested.鈥�
Two PFLP-GC officials later confirmed Naji had been released, with one saying he was held for 10 hours and freed after 鈥渓ocal and international mediation.鈥�
The official said it remained unclear why he had been arrested.
The second source confirmed Naji鈥檚 release, saying: 鈥淗e鈥檚 at home and in good health.鈥�
Last month, a statement from the Al-Quds Brigades said Islamic Jihad鈥檚 Syria official Khaled Khaled and organizing committee member Yasser Al-Zafri had been detained for days 鈥渨ithout explanation.鈥�
The Iran-backed group expressed hope 鈥渢hat our brothers in the Syrian government鈥� will free the pair, noting their detention comes as the group is 鈥渇ighting the Zionist enemy鈥� in the Gaza Strip.
In late March, US State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce said Syria鈥檚 new authorities should 鈥渇ully renounce and suppress terrorism, exclude foreign terrorist fighters from any official roles (and) prevent Iran and its proxies from exploiting Syrian territory.鈥�
The PFLP-GC was founded in 1968 after breaking away from the leftist Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine.
When conflict erupted in Syria in 2011 with the brutal repression of peaceful pro-democracy protests, the PFLP-GC stood firmly by Assad鈥檚 government.
After militants and rebels overran parts of the Yarmuk Palestinian refugee camp on the outskirts of Damascus in 2012, the PFLP-GC鈥檚 armed wing fought alongside Syrian government forces to take it back.
The group is designated as a 鈥渢errorist organization鈥� by the United States and European Union and is accused of masterminding the deadly bombing of Swissair Flight SR330 in February 1970, as well as several attacks on Israeli civilians.