Syria Arrests the Sarin Official from the Assad Era
Syrian authorities announced on Wednesday the arrest of a former military officer whom they identified as a chemical weapons specialist and the official responsible for sarin gas storage facilities near Damascus.
The arrest forms part of the broader campaign launched by the new Syrian authorities following the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s government.
Syrian authorities have repeatedly announced the detention of former military and security officials associated with the previous regime, accusing them of involvement in crimes and human rights violations committed during the Syrian conflict, which began in 2011. Since April, a series of court proceedings has also been underway.
In a statement, the Syrian Ministry of Interior announced that a “high-level security operation” had resulted in the arrest of Colonel Ahmad Habib Ali, described as a specialist in chemical weapons.
According to the ministry, he served as head of the Scientific Studies and Research Center and was responsible for sarin gas storage facilities and chemical production within Unit 417, one of the principal units responsible for storing and maintaining Syria’s chemical weapons stockpiles near Damascus.
The ministry further stated that the detained officer supervised the production of approximately 20 bombs loaded with sarin gas, each weighing 250 kilograms, which were allegedly used in attacks targeting Syrian cities and towns between 2013 and 2017.
During that period, several areas of Syria were subjected to chemical weapons attacks widely attributed to the former Syrian government. The deadliest occurred on 21 August 2013 in Eastern Ghouta and Mouadamiyat al-Sham, near Damascus, where sarin gas was reportedly used.
According to the United States and several human rights organizations, the attack killed 1,429 people. In its aftermath, Syria joined the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) and agreed to declare and surrender its stockpile of toxic substances for destruction under pressure from its ally Russia and the United States, which had threatened military airstrikes.
Between 2014 and 2017, a joint investigative mechanism established by the United Nations and the OPCW accused Assad’s forces of carrying out four chemical attacks against opposition-controlled towns in Idlib Province in northwestern Syria, using sarin and chlorine gas.
The arrest of the former officer comes shortly after the OPCW approved the full restoration of Syria’s membership rights, following the suspension of its voting rights in 2021. The decision followed the organization’s conclusion that the Syrian Air Force had used sarin and chlorine gas against civilians.
Since the fall of the Assad government, Syrian authorities have announced the arrest of dozens of individuals associated with the former regime. On 26 April, the judiciary launched a series of public trials, both in person and in absentia, against former political and security officials facing multiple charges, some of which amount to alleged war crimes committed after the outbreak of the 2011 popular uprising.
