Former Syrian official arrested in California, charged with torture

A federal grand jury in Los Angeles this week charged a former Syrian military official with several counts of torture allegedly committed at a prison he oversaw for years.

Samir Ousman Sheikh, former head of the Damascus Central Prison, was personally involved in torturing political dissidents to deter opposition to the regime of then-Syrian President Bashar Assad, according to the Justice Department.

Authorities first arrested 72-year-old Sheikh on July 10 at Los Angeles International Airport and the following month he was indicted on immigration fraud charges. This week’s indictment adds three counts of torture and one count of conspiracy to commit torture.

Prosecutors say Sheikh personally carried out some of the violence, which allegedly involved beatings and subjecting prisoners to a wooden device known as the “flying carpet,” which forcibly folded them in half and resulted in one victim suffering a fractured spine.

A jail cell inside the notorious military detention center “215,” in Damascus.

(Ayman Oghanna/For The Times)

“The allegations in this superseding indictment of grave human rights abuses are chilling,” U.S. Atty. Martin Estrada for the Central District of California said in a statement. “Our country will not be a safe harbor for those accused of committing atrocities abroad.”

Nina Marino, an attorney representing Sheikh, said her client “vehemently denies these politically motivated and false accusations.”

“In filing these false charges, this Justice Department has chosen to allocate precious government resources towards the prosecution of a foreign national for alleged crimes that occurred in a foreign country against non-American citizens, and in so doing, diverts those same resources that could be used to protect American citizens from criminal conduct occurring in America,” Marino wrote in a statement.

She added that they “intend to vigorously defend against these false charges and achieve the full vindication of our client.”

In August, Sheikh pleaded not guilty to the visa fraud and attempted naturalization fraud charges. He will be arraigned on the superseding indictment in the coming days or weeks, according the U.S. Attorney’s office in L.A.

According to the most recent indictment, Sheikh oversaw the Damascus prison — known as Adra — between 2005 and 2008. The prison contained a “punishment wing,” which included a below-ground section that held small isolation cells and a room in which prisoners were interrogated and tortured.

The indictment detailed the torture of several prisoners, including one identified by the initials K.A.M., whose body Sheikh, prison officials and prison guards allegedly contorted on the “flying carpet” device.

K.A.M. was also allegedly beaten while he was suspended from the ceiling for hours at a time in a crucifixion-like position and stomped on, according to the indictment.

According to the Justice Department, Sheikh allegedly held several positions in the Syrian police and the Syrian state security apparatus, was associated with the Syrian Ba’ath Party that ruled Syria and was appointed governor of the province of Deir Ez-Zour by then-Syrian President Assad in 2011. He allegedly immigrated to the United States in 2020 and applied for U.S. citizenship in 2023.

The Justice Department says Sheikh concealed his employment at the prison when he applied for citizenship. He allegedly similarly made false statements when applying for a visa to enter the U.S.

If convicted, he faces up to 20 years in prison for the torture charges and up to 10 years for the immigration fraud charges.

Rebel fighters recently seized control of Syria, with Assad reported to have fled to Russia. During their advance on Damascus, opposition groups took over a number of prisons and released longtime political detainees. The fall of Assad ends a 50-year dynasty begun by his late father, Hafez, notorious for its brutal treatment of adversaries.

Times correspondent Nabih Bulos contributed reporting.