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DAMASCUS, June 1 (AFP) - 14h30 - Syrian Kurdish
cleric Mohammed Maashuk Khaznawi, who went missing
on May 10, was kidnapped and killed by a criminal
gang, an interior ministry official said Wednesday.
"Five people kidnapped Sheikh Khaznawi in Damascus
and took him off to Aleppo (to the north) where they
killed him," the state news agency SANA quoted the
unnamed official as saying.
"The gang has been arrested," he said.
Kurdish party officials charged earlier Wednesday
that the sheikh had died after having been tortured
by Syrian authorities.
The sheikh was widely popular in Syria and known for
teaching that Islam and democracy are compatible. He
was last seen leaving Damascus's Islamic Studies
centre, of which he was vice president.
Human rights groups announced the disappearance of
the Kurdish cleric, while Syrian authorities denied
holding Khaznawi in custody.
AFP
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