A Dutch priest Frans Van der Lugt was shot dead on 7 April 2014 in Homs by a gunman. He was 70. The motive behind Fr van der Lugt's killing is unclear.
Frans van der Lugt had become a renowned figure in the rebel-held area that has been blockaded by government forces for nearly two years.
He had refused to be evacuated, saying he would not leave Homs while there were still Christians in the city.
Fr van der Lugt spent nearly five decades in Syria and considered the country to be his home. A Jesuit, Fr van der Lugt arrived in Syria in 1966 after spending two years in Lebanon studying Arabic.
He lived in a Jesuit monastery, where he ministered to the area's remaining Christians and tried to help poor families.
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