Former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has been allegedly poisoned in Russia.
Foreign media have revealed that an attempt to assassinate ousted Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has been allegedly poisoned in the Russian capital, Moscow.
According to foreign media reports, an online account called General SVR (which is believed to be run by a former Russian top spy) made a statement that Bashar had fallen ill in Moscow on Sunday.
The 59-year-old former president complained of a severe cough and difficulty breathing, after which he sought medical attention.
According to the aforementioned account, an attempt was made to assassinate Bashar. The former president was treated in his apartment, and his condition was said to have stabilized by Monday. Medical testing has confirmed that he was poisoned.
The General SVR account did not directly cite the source of this information. On the other hand, the Russian government has not confirmed or denied the incident.
It should be noted that President Bashar al-Assad and his family fled to Russia before the opposition took control of the Syrian capital, Damascus, in December last year. Russia has granted asylum to Bashar al-Assad and his family on humanitarian grounds.
