American journalist Lindsey Snell has accused Mohammed Qantri, chargé d’affaires at the Syrian Embassy in the United States, of taking part in her abduction by al-Nusra Front in 2016.
Snell posted a video report on her X account on Tuesday, July 28, showing Qantri during his time with al-Nusra Front. The footage showed him alongside other fighters as he accompanied her on one of her trips inside Syria.
She also presented excerpts from an interview she conducted with a masked man whom she identified as Qantri. Snell compared the man’s eyes, voice, and accent as he discussed ideas derived from al-Nusra Front’s principles at the time and the group’s views on Syria’s future.
According to Snell, she met Qantri in July 2016 after obtaining permission from al-Nusra Front to film in areas under its control. She was documenting Russian airstrikes and attacks by aircraft belonging to the former Syrian government while accompanying an opposition faction operating in the area.
The American journalist previously said that al-Nusra Front abducted her in 2016 and that she later escaped with the help of “a brave man on a motorcycle,” as she described him.
In a Facebook post that was later deleted, Snell said she had been staying with the family of members of an opposition faction when she was detained, despite having previously received permission to film.
Because of what she described as her “special circumstances,” Snell managed to persuade her captors to give her a phone. This later enabled her to plan her escape and document part of her captivity through photographs and videos, according to the post, which several media outlets reported at the time.
Who Is Lindsey Snell?
Snell describes herself as a video journalist and documentary filmmaker covering the Middle East, North Africa, and the Caucasus.
She began covering the Syrian revolution in 2014 and produced several films, including “Abandoned Mansions and Al Qaeda in Amusement Parks: A Surreal War Diary.”
During that period, Snell said she was Muslim and wore the hijab.
Her posts indicate that she opposes the current Syrian government because of its “jihadist” background and is also critical of Turkish policies.
Snell has focused on issues concerning Syrians and tracked the activities of factions aligned with Turkey, particularly those that sent fighters to other countries, including Libya and Azerbaijan.
Previous media reports said factions within the Turkish backed Syrian National Army sent fighters to several countries under temporary contracts and in cooperation with Ankara.
Snell has also followed the unresolved dispute between Azerbaijan and Armenia, siding with Armenia in its conflict with Baku.
Imprisonment in Turkey
Snell was imprisoned in Turkey after leaving Syria in August 2016. Turkish security forces detained her near the Syrian Turkish border in Hatay Province for “violating a military zone” and illegally crossing from Syria.
Hatay Governor Ercan Topaca told the semi official Anadolu Agency that Turkish security forces had detained the American citizen to determine whether she was a spy.
He added that American helicopters had been seen flying over the border to collect the journalist before Turkish authorities arrested her.
Turkey released Snell after approximately two months in detention, allowing her to return to the United States, according to comments by a US official reported by Western media outlets.
Snell is originally from the US state of Florida and graduated from a university there in 2005. She previously lived in Istanbul, Turkey, and currently resides in Munich, Germany, according to information on her personal accounts.
The American journalist has worked with several media outlets and organizations, including VICE, MSNBC, ABC News, and Vocativ.
Who Is Mohammed Qantri?
Qantri is the chargé d’affaires at the Syrian Embassy in Washington, DC. He was appointed to the position in late January.
Before his embassy appointment, Qantri served as deputy director of the America Department at the Foreign Affairs Ministry under Qutaiba Idlbi.
Qantri was among those appointed by the Political Affairs Administration on December 18, 2024, to work on the diplomatic portfolio and embassy operations inside Syria.
According to activists and people close to Qantri, he managed sensitive files in what were known as the “liberated areas,” the opposition controlled parts of northwestern Syria before the fall of the former government.
Qantri is from Homs (central Syria) and was displaced from the city 14 years ago following his participation in the Syrian revolution. He studied civil engineering at Cyprus International University.
Who is Mohammed Qanatri Syria’s chargé d’affaires in Washington?
From al-Nusra to the Republic
Al-Nusra Front, described in the article as the nucleus of Syria’s current political and military leadership, underwent several changes from its establishment in 2012 through the period following the fall of the former Syrian government on December 8, 2024. These included changes to its name and ideology.
Al-Nusra Front was affiliated with the global jihadist organization al-Qaeda before announcing that it had severed ties with the group in 2016. It then changed its name to Jabhat Fatah al-Sham during the period when Snell said she was being held captive.
In early 2017, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham was formed through a merger between Jabhat Fatah al-Sham and other factions as part of a restructuring of the armed factional landscape in northern Syria.
Following the fall of the former government, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham was dissolved, and its members assumed senior positions in the new Syrian government. They include Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, who was formerly known as Abu Mohammad al-Julani.
During those years, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, and before it Jabhat Fatah al-Sham and al-Nusra Front, underwent fundamental ideological transformations. The groups shifted from positions aligned ideologically with al-Qaeda and the Islamic State toward more moderate ideas, particularly during Hayat Tahrir al-Sham’s final period governing Idlib city (northwestern Syria), when it showed greater openness than in previous years.
In February 2026, the United Nations Security Council removed both al-Nusra Front and Hayat Tahrir al-Sham from sanctions imposed on entities linked to the Islamic State and al-Qaeda.