DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — Thousands of people have gathered in downtown Damascus amid tight security for the funeral of a senior pro-government cleric who was assassinated in a mosque earlier this week.
Security forces sealed off all roads leading to the eighth century Omayyad Mosque where the funeral for 84-year-old Sheik Mohammad Said Ramadan al-Buti was held.
Al-Buti, his grandson and 48 others were killed Thursday when a suicide bomber detonated his explosives inside a mosque where al-Buti was giving a religious lesson.
Mourners carried al-Buti and his grandson’s coffin on their shoulders Saturday amid shouts of “God is Great.”
Al-Buti was Imam of the Omayyad Mosque, a landmark in Damascus.
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Syrian state TV said President Bashar Assad was being represented at the funeral by one of his cabinet ministers.
Copyright 2013 The Associated Press.
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