Syriac Christian minister Hoseb Abraham Bedoian and his father were shot dead by two motorcycle gunmen who ambushed their car on the road from Qamishli to Deir al-Zor, in north-east Syria, on 11 November.
Another church leader managed to escape the unidentified assailants, who attacked their un-escorted vehicle around midday. Some reports have linked the gunmen to ISIS.
A few hours later, three bombs concealed on motorbikes were detonated in the city of Qamishli, in a coordinated attack targeting Kurdish and Christian communities, killing at least eight people. Some reports numbered fatalities as high as 30. More than 50 people were injured in the blasts.
The bombs were detonated by remote control at five-minute intervals. The first exploded in Qadurbek, a quiet predominantly Kurdish district. The second bomb exploded in the heart of the city’s market where a large number of Christians own property. The third was detonated on a road near a church and Christian school. Businesses were damaged in the third explosion, but no casualties were reported.
