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Journalist Dies on Air After Defending Assad

An Egyptian journalist reportedly died in the midst of a live television broadcast on Iraq’s Al-Hadath channel while defending Syrian strongman Bashar Assad.

Egypt’s Al Ahram reports that Adel Al-Gogari, 56, suffered a fatal blood clot on camera in Cairo, after a debate about the regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad Wednesday night. On the newscast, he called his opponent, Free Syrian Army (FSA) member Brigadier-General Hossam, a “fugitive soldier” and claimed the FSA was funded by Israel.

The late journalist had recently appeared on Al-Jazeera Arabic’s “The Opposite Direction” where he came to the heated defense of the Syrian regime and decrying an “international conspiracy” against Assad.

Al-Gogari was pronounced dead upon arrival at the hospital.

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