Afyouni was targeted by an explosive device planted on his car in a "terrorist act," according to the report. The mufti was a senior official who was close to Syrian President Bashar Assad and helped sign most of the reconciliation deals in the Damascus area with the Assad regime, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
The SANA report did not identify who the perpetrators of the attack were.
The mufti headed the International Islamic Sham Center, which qualified Imams and preachers around Syria, taught religious sciences and monitored and combated "extremist mentalities," according to SANA.