Syrian-British Filmmaker Arrested in Damascus

Syrian-British filmmaker Ghassan Abdullah was arrested on Sunday in Damascus as he was returning to his hometown of Daraa in the south of the unrest-swept country, a media rights group reported.

The Syrian Center for Media and Free Expression gave no further details on the arrest of the filmmaker, who has dual nationality.

Abdullah, 47, works for the state-run National Cinema Organization, which helped him to produce his short film "Daydreams" in 2005.

The filmmaker, who has also directed a number of series for Syrian state television teaches at Leeds Metropolitan University and the media faculty at Damascus University.

The United Nations estimates that more than 5,400 people have been killed in Syria since anti-government protests erupted last March and thousands more have been arrested.