Atef Najib
Atef Najib | |
|---|---|
عاطف نجيب | |
| Head of the Political Security Directorate in Daraa | |
| In office 2008 – April 2011 | |
| President | Bashar al-Assad |
| Succeeded by | Nasser al-Ali |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1960 (age 65–66) |
| Parent(s) | Fatima Makhlouf (mother) Najib Alaa (father) |
| Relatives |
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| Military service | |
| Allegiance | Ba'athist Syria |
| Rank | Brigadier General |
Atef Najib (Arabic: عاطف نجيب; born 1960) is a Syrian former security official and head of political security in Daraa Governorate. A first cousin of former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, he became infamous for being a catalyst for one of the flashpoints that ignited the Syrian civil war, when in 2011 he directed the abduction and torture of 15 boys who had written anti-Assad slogans in a public area in the city of Daraa. His aggressive actions prompted non-violent protests by local inhabitants, and—after security forces opened fire at a protest march—the gradual start of armed resistance. Upon the fall of the Assad regime, he was arrested by Syrian security forces in rural Latakia on 31 January 2025.