He was not in Egypt on 25 January 2011, when the anti-regime protests began and when the Egyptian government shut down the internet in the country.

"A television crew had been streaming live video of anti-regime protests from our location," said Omar.

Yemen, Egypt, and Bahrain also held anti-regime and anti-Zionist protests.

Bahrain's prosecutor appealed against the acquittals of a policewoman accused of torturing a journalist and two policemen tried for murdering demonstrators in last year's anti-regime protests.

State television said 755 prisoners who had been involved in anti-regime protests but who "who did not have Syrian blood on their hands" had been released.

This is beginning to have an effect on Iranian society and was a contributing factor to the anti-regime protests by Iranian youth.

Two other foreign journalists were reportedly arrested while covering a large anti-regime protest in Douma, near the capital, .

State television said prisoners who had been involved in anti-regime protests but "whose hands were not stained with Syrian blood" had been released.

Security forces killed at least 7 more people in Syria, activists said, urging new anti-regime protests on Friday under the banner of Friday of death rather than humiliation.

Or perhaps carrying out the bombings on a day that would not distract from the anti-regime protests that happen each Friday?