"The television presenter, a well-known figure on state TV, has been executed, and the Al-Nusra Front has claimed responsibility for the killing," the Observatory´s Rami Abdel Rahman told AFP.[break]
Al-Nusra, a little-known Islamist militant group, claimed the kidnapping and execution of Saeed in a statement on Friday.
"The heroes of western Ghouta (in Damascus province) imprisoned the shabih (pro-regime militia) presenter on July 19," said Al-Nusra. "He was then killed after he had been interrogated."
Posted on a forum featuring the Al-Qaeda flag, Al-Nusra´s statement showed a photograph of Saeed looking frightened, with his back against a wall in an unknown location.
"May this be a lesson to all those who support the regime," it said.
Contacted by AFP, state TV director Maan Saleh said: "We have no material proof of this killing."
Last month, international media rights watchdog Reporters Without Borders issued a statement on Saeed´s kidnapping, and urged his captors to release him.
"News media and journalists -- both professional and citizen journalists -- should not be targeted by any of the parties in a war or civil war," it said at the time.
Related story
Turkey says militants executed 13, including soldiers, police,...
-1773673205.webp)
