Known by his nom de guerre Abu Sakkar, the rebel reportedly joined the Al-Qaeda-affiliated Al-Nusra Front about a year ago.
Beirut:
A Syrian terrorist who appeared in a gruesome video cutting out the heart of a regime soldier and eating it has been shot dead by rival rebels, a monitoring group said.
Known by his nom de guerre Abu Sakkar, the rebel reportedly joined the Al-Qaeda-affiliated Al-Nusra Front about a year ago, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
Rival rebels "assassinated Khaled al-Hamad, who was known as Abu Sakkar and who was a military commander in Al-Nusra, by gunning him down" in the north western province of Idlib, the Observatory said late on Tuesday.
In May 2013, Abu Sakkar appeared in a video showing him eating the heart of a dead regime soldier, sparking an international outcry and condemnation from the mainstream Syrian opposition.
At the time, he was fighting in a rebel brigade in central Homs province.
"He was likely killed in a settling of accounts" between Al-Nusra, which dominates much of Idlib province, and other Islamist rebels in the area, Observatory chief Rami Abdel Rahman said.
The Syrian conflict began as a peaceful uprising against President Bashar al-Assad in March 2011 but swiftly escalated into an armed rebellion after his regime unleashed a brutal crackdown.
Many Syrians became radicalised, and human rights groups have accused all sides in the fighting of committing atrocities.
Known by his nom de guerre Abu Sakkar, the rebel reportedly joined the Al-Qaeda-affiliated Al-Nusra Front about a year ago, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
Rival rebels "assassinated Khaled al-Hamad, who was known as Abu Sakkar and who was a military commander in Al-Nusra, by gunning him down" in the north western province of Idlib, the Observatory said late on Tuesday.
In May 2013, Abu Sakkar appeared in a video showing him eating the heart of a dead regime soldier, sparking an international outcry and condemnation from the mainstream Syrian opposition.
At the time, he was fighting in a rebel brigade in central Homs province.
"He was likely killed in a settling of accounts" between Al-Nusra, which dominates much of Idlib province, and other Islamist rebels in the area, Observatory chief Rami Abdel Rahman said.
The Syrian conflict began as a peaceful uprising against President Bashar al-Assad in March 2011 but swiftly escalated into an armed rebellion after his regime unleashed a brutal crackdown.
Many Syrians became radicalised, and human rights groups have accused all sides in the fighting of committing atrocities.
Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world
