Syrian actor Jalal Al-Taweel, an opponent of the Bashar Al-Assad regime, went missing after trying to cross the border to Jordan on Wednesday.

His wife called in hours later on pan-Arab Al-Arabiya Channel to say that she does not know about his whereabouts and that there are reports of his arrest.

On 20 December he had been beaten up in a protest by paid thugs known as shabiha during a protest in the Damascus district of Al-Midan.

Al-Taweel was one of the first Syrian artists to oppose the Asaad regime. He is both an actor and an acting coach. His TV drama credits include Invasion, Asmahan, My Grandfather’s House, Behind the Sun, and Abu Ghanti. He is also a voice coach at the Higher Institute of Dramatic Arts and an acting instructor at the Teatro Theatre.

Several artists have gone missing since the start of the Syrian uprising. Al-Taweel has said previously that he considers artists to be an important component of the struggle against the regime, although there are several artists who continue to support Al-Assad.