American killed in Syria sectarian violence

An American citizen from Oklahoma was killed along with six male relatives during the sectarian violence that erupted last week in Syria

An American citizen from Oklahoma was killed along with six male relatives during the sectarian violence that erupted last week in Syria.

Syrian-American Hosam Saraya, 35, was visiting his family in Sweida in southern Syria from Oklahoma City, where he lived.

Last Wednesday, he and his family members were seized by armed men and gunned down in the street, according to a relative who spoke to NBC News on the condition of anonymity. NBC News could not independently verify who was responsible for the attack.

Video footage circulating online and verified by NBC News showed Saraya and his family members being killed.

In one video posted on Instagram, eight men are seen forced to walk in a line on a deserted street west of Tishreen Square in Sweida's city center by about half a dozen armed men in military-style fatigues.