Air clears between Washington and Damascus after foiled attack on US Embassy

According to sources of Syria's Internal Affairs Ministry, the trail of the attackers, who named their group after Al Zarqawi, leads to a Saudi imam.

Damascus (AsiaNews) – An attack on 12 September on the US Embassy that was foiled by Syrian security forces could lead to a better atmosphere between Washington and Damascus. According to Syrian forces, the trail of the attempted attack led to Saudi Arabia. Sources of Syria's Internal Affairs Ministry said the four attackers, who were killed in the attack, were followers of the teachings of a Saudi Sunni imam who was pushing them to fight American policies in the Middle East and urging them to take action.

The four perpetrators, who had called their group Abou Mousab Al Zarqawi came originally from El Tall region in the hills of Damascus. They were

Abd El Raouf Moustafa Saleh, 31 years, his brother Bilal, 25, their cousin Samir, 25, and Sahid Saleh 28. All four were killed in crossfire with security forces of the Embassy. In the attack, a Syrian employee of the American embassy, Nawfal Souleiman, was killed.

According to the reconstruction by the Internal Affairs Ministry, on 12 September, three of the men were in one pickup truck while the fourth was driving a second one, which was supposed to explode after the first. The ministry applauded the ability of its armed forces and then set to strengthening security measures around foreign embassies. The full satisfaction of the American FBI, which participated in investigations into the attempted attack, was emphasized.

The results of the investigation have been splashed on the front pages of Syrian newspapers, which claimed the aim of the attack was to worsen ties between Damascus and the United States, and that it had the indirect backing of Saudi Arabia and other Arab countries. The need to fight terrorism and to hunt down fundamentalists, wherever they may be, was reiterated. This is because, as Al Sawra (Revolution) wrote: "Fundamentalism kills social peace without attaining any prosperity and security." The newspaper portrayed the satisfaction expressed by the US administration about the foiled attack as a step towards the improvement in ties – currently very critical – between Syria and the United States.

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