Armed men in Aleppo kills former leader in Muslim Brothers group

A funeral was held on Friday in Aleppo for the former observer general of the Muslim Brothers, Sheikh Muhammad Amin Yakan (62), who was killed because of disputes over land ownership on Thursday in the village of Tarhin, of al-Bab district in northern Syria.

Taking part in Sheikh Yakan's funeral were his son in law, the chairman of the Islamic Society in Lebanon, Sheikh Fatehi Yakan, and several Syrian local officials

In telephone call to the al-Hayat daily from Beirut and Aleppo a relative of Sheikh Yakan said the "deceased was killed in an ambush on the way to Tarhin village on Thursday afternoon when armed men shot him to death while driving his car, accompanied by his son and driver." They stated that the reason behind killing Sheikh Yakan was "criminal and not political."

At his own personal initiative, Sheikh Yakan made several mediations with leaders of the Muslim Brothers abroad in 1997. He left political work in the movement in 1974. He played a remarkable role between the government and the Muslim Brothers.