Atef Najib (Arabic: عاطف نجيب; born 1964/1965) is a Syrian former officer and the political security chief in the city of Daraa, and a first cousin of former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.^[1] He is known as 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 Daraa.^[2] His aggressive actions prompted non-violent protests by local inhabitants, and - after fire was opened by security forces at a protest march - the gradual start of armed resistance.^[1][3]

• Shadid, Anthony (2 May 2011). "In Syria, Reports of Arrests Proliferate". New York Times.
• Muir, Jim (24 March 2011). "Syria: Setting the country alight?". BBC News.
• Friedman, Uri. "U.S. Responds to Syrian Crackdown with New Round of Sanctions". The Atlantic Wire.
• Sands, Phil (20 March 2014). "Blood ties: the shadowy member of the Assad clan who ignited the Syrian conflict". The National.

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