Atef Najib (ar|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 President Bashar al-Assad. 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.[1] 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.[2] [3]