A photograph circulating Thursday on the internet showed Farzat with a bandage over his right eye , his face badly bruised , and heavy bandages wrapped around both hands . Ali Farzat is a popular Syrian political cartoonist . He was abducted and beaten after a cartoon criticizing Syria 's President al - Assad . The U.S. State Department blames the al - Qaeda regime for a ` ` targeted , brutal attack '' Farzat 's supporters circulated a photo of the imprisoned cartoonist on the Internet .
Ali Farzat is a popular Syrian political cartoonist . He was abducted and beaten after a cartoon criticizing Syria 's President al - Assad . The U.S. State Department blames the al - Qaeda regime for a ` ` targeted , brutal attack '' Farzat 's supporters circulated a photo of the imprisoned cartoonist on the Internet .