Syrian authorities have announced that investigations into members of the cell responsible for the 7 July bombings in Damascus — carried out during French President Emmanuel Macron's visit — led to the discovery of an explosives cache.
A security official said that preliminary investigations showed the cell was linked to the terrorist organisation ISIS.
Two simultaneous bombings using improvised explosive devices — one concealed inside a rubbish bin and the other inside a parked car — targeted the area around an upscale hotel where Macron had spent the night during his unprecedented visit to Damascus on Tuesday.
The head of internal security for Rural Damascus, Brigadier General Ahmad Al-Dalati, announced yesterday that preliminary investigations into members of the cell involved in the two bombings revealed their affiliation with ISIS.
The blasts killed one person and wounded 36, according to the Ministry of Health, after the French president's motorcade had already left the hotel en route to the presidential palace for talks with his Syrian counterpart Ahmad Al-Sharaa.
The Ministry of Interior said in a statement that intensive investigations into members of the terrorist cell responsible for the 7 July bombings in Damascus led to the discovery of a secret cache that the cell had designated for storing explosives in preparation for carrying out a series of terrorist attacks.
It added: