According to Syrian Free Press Network, terrorists opened fire on a car on the Homs-Marmarita Road and then attacked the two passengers, beheading one of them.
Firas Badr Nader, who survived the attack, recounted at Al-Bassel Hospital in Tartous that he and his friend Fadi Michael Matta were coming back from work in a hotel in Homs when five terrorists intercepted them and opened fire on the car. Nader said that he was shot and lost control of the car, causing it to crash, and as the terrorists approached the car he played dead, and then the terrorist dragged him and his friend out of the car and tied the latter's hands.
He then heard one of the terrorists instructing one of his accomplices to "slit his throat" at which point they decapitated Matta, then they stole all the documents and money they had and fled after trying to burn the car and failing.
After he was sure that the terrorists had left, Nader opened his eyes and saw that Matta was lying down covered in blood and decapitated. He said he ran until he reached a friend's house in al-Meshtaye area where he called the authorities, and an ambulance arrived soon at the scene of the crime and transported Nader to Al-Bassel Hospital and took Matta's body to a hospital in Marmarita.
According to dmc-sy.org, a priest in Homs further reported that the reason why they decided to behead Fadi Michael Matta was because he was wearing a cross around his neck. When the gunman noticed the cross, they beheaded him and planted the cross into his chest.