Crowd gathers in Damascus to bury slain preacher
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In this undated photo released by the Syrian official news agency SANA, Sheikh Mohammad Said Ramadan al-Buti, an 84-year-old cleric known to all Syrians as a religious scholar, speaks at a press conference. Thousands of people have gathered in downtown Damascus amid tight security for the funeral of the senior pro-government cleric who was assassinated in a mosque earlier this week. -- FILE PHOTO: AP/SANA
DAMASCUS (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 on 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 on Saturday amid shouts of "God is Great." Al-Buti was Imam of the Omayyad Mosque, a landmark in Damascus.
