US authorities arrest Syrian official responsible for overseeing prisons with numerous reports of abuse

A 72-year-old former Syrian military official, Samir Ousman al-Sheikh, was recently arrested in Los Angeles for immigration fraud. He was detained at Los Angeles International Airport for allegedly falsifying information on his U.S. visa application. Al-Sheikh has been living in Los Angeles since 2020 and is suspected of committing naturalization fraud in an attempt to gain U.S. citizenship, as per a criminal complaint filed on July 9.
Al-Sheikh, who was responsible for overseeing the notorious Adra prison in Syria, is accused of providing false information on his visa application by denying any involvement in extrajudicial killings, political killings, or acts of violence. The court documents suggest that investigators are contemplating further charges against him, beyond the initial immigration fraud allegations.