The former head of Syrian intelligence, Hussam Luka, is probably in Russia, the BBC writes. His location was established thanks to contacts in a notebook found in his residence in Damascus, the publication states.
Hussam Luka was known by the nickname "The Spider". He had entangled Syria in a network of informants and torture sites where opponents of Bashar al-Assad's regime were tortured and disappeared without a trace.
The former Syrian intelligence chief is under sanctions from the US, UK and EU.
Luka disappeared after Assad was overthrown in December 2024. Soon after, the article states, the military found a notebook in his home with 155 handwritten contacts - from businessmen and doctors to military officials and relatives. The journalists checked all the numbers in the notebook. One of these contacts, "wanted by the new Syrian government for his close ties to the Assad regime", gave the journalists Luca's phone number, which turned out to be Russian and helped arrange the call.
The journalists dialed this number. "In my situation, I can't take risks by talking on the phone," Luka replied, describing a possible meeting with journalists outside of Russia as "complicated". The publication also received a second number attributed to Luka, registered in Syria, and the journalists were able to track his location in two suburbs of Moscow, the article states.
In addition, the information that Hussam Luka had passed through Lebanon with a "valid Russian passport, but under a different name" was confirmed to the publication by a high-ranking source in the Lebanese government.
Bashar Assad continues to live with his family in Moscow. He is guarded by Russian special services.