Syrian Intelligence Questions Head of Akkar Town Municipal Chief

The Syrian intelligence arrested Wednesday the head of municipality of the border town of al-Rama in the northern Wadi Khaled area of Akkar province after he entered Syria through the General Security checkpoint, security sources and residents said.

Intelligence officers are questioning Khaled Souaidan after arresting him around 9:00 am, the sources and residents told LBC TV.

Souaidan, known as al-Badawi, owns a factory in Syria and enters the country regularly, the station said.

Al-Rama is one of the largest towns of Wadi Khaled, LBC said, adding it has a high concentration of Syrian refugees who have escaped the violence in their country.

An estimated 24,000 Syrians have sought refuge in Lebanon, mostly in Wadi Khaled, after President Bashar Assad began using force to crush a popular uprising that erupted in March 2011.