Former Syrian intelligence chief Hussam Luka, one of the most powerful security officials under ousted president Bashar al-Assad, has been traced to Moscow after the BBC followed a trail of contacts found in his abandoned Damascus apartment.Luka, who was sanctioned by the UK, US and European Union, has been accused of involvement in torture, detention and other abuses during Assad’s rule. The BBC said Syria’s new authorities have issued a warrant for him over allegations including premeditated murder and torture.After Assad was overthrown in December 2024, Luka disappeared. The BBC later found his abandoned luxury apartment in Damascus, where photographs of Luka with Assad, awards and other personal belongings remained behind.Among the items was a handwritten notebook containing 155 phone numbers belonging to people ranging from doctors and military officials to relatives and other contacts. The BBC said it redacted identifying information from the notebook.Reporters tried contacting the numbers, eventually establishing links to Luka’s former apartment guard and a former personal bodyguard. The bodyguard said Luka had promised to remain in Damascus as rebels advanced on the capital, but disappeared during the final hours of Assad’s government after allegedly taking a large amount of money from an office safe.The trail eventually led to a former contact in Lebanon, who provided a Russian telephone number believed to belong to Luka.The BBC then arranged for the contact to call the person behind the Russian number. The man answered questions about Luka’s past that, according to the BBC, only someone with detailed knowledge of his life would likely have been able to answer.The voice later identified itself as Luka’s. When the BBC asked him about allegations of massacres and torture, he declined to discuss them, saying he could not take the risk of speaking from his current position. He also refused to say whether Russia was preventing him from talking.Using another number linked to Luka, the BBC said it was able to locate him in two suburban areas around Moscow.When reporters called again, the same voice answered but immediately hung up after being told the BBC was calling. He also did not respond to a WhatsApp message seeking his response to the allegations.The Russian government did not respond to the BBC’s questions about whether Luka was in Moscow or whether it would consider an extradition request.
Why Luka matters
Luka rose through Assad’s intelligence apparatus during the Syrian civil war and eventually headed the General Security Directorate, one of the regime’s most powerful intelligence agencies.The BBC reported that he was known as, “The Spider”, because of the extensive network of informants and contacts he allegedly maintained.His record in Homs has drawn particular scrutiny. Residents told the BBC that his name and phone number had been circulated during the siege of rebel-held parts of the city, with people calling for help to escape. Some were reportedly allowed to leave, while others were never heard from again.Luka has also been accused of involvement in the 2015 Eid massacre in Homs also known as the ‘Children’s Massacre’. The incident claimed the lives of 28 people, including 17 children and four women, according to the Syrian Network for Human Rights. The BBC said Syrian activist and opposition sources at the time linked Luka to the selection of targets.As head of the General Security Directorate, Luka also had strategic control over detention policies and personnel monitoring communications involving Sednaya prison, the notorious facility where many detainees disappeared.Syria’s Attorney General Hassan al-Turba told the BBC that authorities had launched a case against Luka alleging premeditated murder, torture and deaths resulting from torture.He said a domestic arrest warrant had been issued and authorities were working to circulate it internationally and locate Luka and other former regime officials.But his apparent presence in Russia could make that difficult. Russia was one of Assad’s principal international backers, and Assad himself fled there after his government collapsed.
