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The murder of Bedouin couple near the city of Homs sparked sectarian rioting targeting the city’s Alawite community on Sunday. According to reports, the bodies of the Bedouin couple were discovered in their home with sectarian slogans painted in blood on the walls. As reports of the murder spread on social media, members of the murder victims tribe, the Bani Khaled, entered Alawite neighborhoods in Homs firing weapons indiscriminately into building, attacking civilians, and committing acts of arson. Syrian security forces eventually imposed a curfew in Homs amidst a tense calm. While the Syrian government did not report any deaths or injuries in the rioting, the Supreme Alawite Islamic Council in Syria reported that two people were killed and another ten injured in the attacks. According to the Syrian Ministry of Interior, the sectarian slogans left on the walls at the murder scene were likely meant to mislead and incite civil strife. The Interior Ministry also said that 120 people had been arrested in connection with the rioting. Following the attacks, Syrians in the city of Latakia, where the majority of the residents are Alawite, carried out demonstrations condemning the attacks in Homs and calling for security for the Alawite community in Syria. Several demonstrators called for various solutions that would weaken the governments influence along the coast. Government troops secured the demonstrations with out incident.
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