A Syrian Alawite centrist political figure warned on Tuesday against sectarian violence in the city of Homs and said that four of his relatives were shot or kidnapped as part of the violence.
Speaking to the Reuters news agency, Mohammad Saleh said his relatives were targeted because they were Alawites, the same sect as Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
“The violence by the regime has provoked counter violence. But a crime is a crime and it has to be condemned,” Saleh, a former political prisoner, told Reuters.