Former Syrian intelligence chief Hussam Louka has been discovered living in a Moscow suburb after fleeing Syria, according to a report by The Telegraph.
Louka, who headed Syria's General Security Directorate, fled the country after the Assad regime fell in December 2024 and found refuge in Russia alongside former president Bashar Assad. Known as Spider for his extensive network of informers, Louka was considered one of Syria's most dangerous figures and managed the country's most brutal detention centers.
Investigators located the former intelligence official using a notebook discovered at his residence in Damascus. The address book contained 155 handwritten entries, one of which provided Louka's Russian phone number.
Civil War Crimes and Extradition
In Syria, Louka is accused of involvement in numerous civil war atrocities. Reports state he personally selected targets for a 2015 airstrike in the Al-Waer district of Homs that killed 28 people, including 17 children. During his tenure as head of intelligence, he oversaw the detention of opposition fighters, political prisoners, journalists, and human rights defenders who were viewed as threats to Assad's rule.
Syria's General Prosecutor's Office has charged former Assad security officials with intentional murder and torture, though Russia is unlikely to extradite them.
Media reports previously noted that Assad has also settled in Moscow. The ousted dictator, who graduated from Damascus University as an ophthalmologist, has resumed practicing ophthalmology, started studying Russian, and is taking courses for eye specialists.
