Quick Facts
Biography
Muhammad Suleiman (Also Mohammad Sulayman) (Arabic: محمد سليمان) (1959 – 1 August 2008) was a general and Special Presidential Advisor for Arms Procurement and Strategic Weapons to Syrian president Bashar Al-Assad.
He was assassinated in his home in Syria on August 1, 2008.
Early life
Suleiman was born in 1959 to an Alawite family.
Career
Suleiman had been a key aide to Bashar even before he assumed office, from the time he appeared as heir to succeed his father, Hafez al-Assad, as president.
He was also in charge of sensitive areas such as handling relations with the IAEA regarding the suspect Al Kibar facility, handled intelligence affairs for the president and was reportedly also in charge of arms transfers from Syria to Hizballah in neighboring Lebanon.
Assassination and perpetrators
It was reported by Iranian media that Suleiman was shot by a silenced weapon in the head and neck on a beach at al Rimal al Zahabiyeh resort near Tartous on 1 August 2008. According to the As-Safir newspaper, arrested Mossad spy Ali Jarrah "testified to have scouted 'certain points' in the coastal town of Tartous in northern Syria," where Suleiman was assassinated. The Sunday Times reported that Suleiman was assassinated by Israel.
Some reporters speculated that Suleiman had been killed at close range.
A cable released by Wikileaks revealed that France told the U.S. that Suleiman was probably killed as a result of rivalry within the Syrian government. Maher al-Assad, brother of the Syrian president, was likely to have ordered the killing. Furthermore, France said that Suleiman was not killed by a sniper, but in fact gunned down in his car.
In a 2009 article regarding the destruction of Al Kibar, Der Spiegel gives a detailed description of Suleiman's murder as having taken place by rifle shots from a passing yacht and implies that it was linked to his involvement in Al Kibar and his upcoming visit to Tehran.
In 2015, a National Security Agency document leaked by Edward Snowden revealed that Israeli naval commandos were indeed behind Suleiman's killing.
Funeral
Suleiman was buried on 3 August 2008. Maher al-Assad participated in his funeral.
Aftermath
According to a U.S. State Department cable published by Wikileaks, Syrian authorities found $80 million in cash in the basement of Suleiman's home. This reportedly upset President Assad, who launched an investigation into how Suleiman obtained that much money.