This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/mar/21/syria-suicide-bomber-sunni-damascus-mosque
The article has changed 7 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 5 | Version 6 |
|---|---|
| Syria: suicide bomber kills top Sunni preacher in Damascus mosque | Syria: suicide bomber kills top Sunni preacher in Damascus mosque |
| (4 months later) | |
| A suicide bombing has torn through a mosque in Damascus killing a top Sunni Muslim preacher and longtime supporter of Bashar al-Assad along with at least 41 others. | A suicide bombing has torn through a mosque in Damascus killing a top Sunni Muslim preacher and longtime supporter of Bashar al-Assad along with at least 41 others. |
| The assassination of Sheikh Mohammad Said Ramadan al-Buti removes one of the few remaining pillars of support for the Syrian president among Sunnis – the majority sect that has risen up against him. | The assassination of Sheikh Mohammad Said Ramadan al-Buti removes one of the few remaining pillars of support for the Syrian president among Sunnis – the majority sect that has risen up against him. |
| The explosion struck as al-Buti, an 84-year-old cleric and scholar who appeared often on TV, was giving a religious lesson in the Eman mosque in the central Mazraa district of Damascus, according to state TV. | The explosion struck as al-Buti, an 84-year-old cleric and scholar who appeared often on TV, was giving a religious lesson in the Eman mosque in the central Mazraa district of Damascus, according to state TV. |
| Suicide bombings blamed on Islamic extremists fighting with the rebels have become common in Syria's two-year-old civil war. But Thursday's explosion marked the first time a bomber has detonated explosives inside a mosque. | Suicide bombings blamed on Islamic extremists fighting with the rebels have become common in Syria's two-year-old civil war. But Thursday's explosion marked the first time a bomber has detonated explosives inside a mosque. |
| Syrian TV said 84 people were injured in the blast and showed footage of wounded people and bodies with severed limbs on the bloodstained floor and later, bodies covered in white body bags lined up in rows. | Syrian TV said 84 people were injured in the blast and showed footage of wounded people and bodies with severed limbs on the bloodstained floor and later, bodies covered in white body bags lined up in rows. |
| Al-Buti's death is a serious blow to Syria's embattled leader. The cleric has been a vocal supporter of his regime since the early days of Assad's father and predecessor, the late former president Hafez Assad. | Al-Buti's death is a serious blow to Syria's embattled leader. The cleric has been a vocal supporter of his regime since the early days of Assad's father and predecessor, the late former president Hafez Assad. |
| In recent months, Syrian TV has carried his sermon from mosques in Damascus live every week. | In recent months, Syrian TV has carried his sermon from mosques in Damascus live every week. |
| Our editors' picks for the day's top news and commentary delivered to your inbox each morning. | Our editors' picks for the day's top news and commentary delivered to your inbox each morning. |