Former Syrian officer arrested over chemical weapons allegations
Authorities identified Ahmed Habib Ali as an ex-colonel tied to sarin storage and chemical weapons production under Bashar al-Assad.
By Lucas Ferreira · Science & Environment Writer
2 min read
Syrian authorities have arrested former Col. Ahmed Habib Ali, whom the Interior Ministry described as a chemical weapons specialist under Bashar al-Assad. The case is significant because officials say he was linked to sarin storage and bomb production tied to attacks on Syrian towns and cities.
The Interior Ministry identified Ali on Wednesday and called him “a chemical weapons expert,” according to Al Jazeera and AFP. The ministry said he had worked within Unit 417, a chemical weapons site near Damascus, where it said he was responsible for sarin gas depots and chemical manufacturing.
According to the ministry, Ali was among officers who oversaw the production of roughly 20 sarin-filled bombs, each weighing 250kg, or about 550lb. The ministry said those weapons were used in attacks on Syrian cities and towns in 2013 and 2017.
Arrest follows OPCW decision
The arrest came about a week after Syria regained voting rights at the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, according to Al Jazeera and AFP. The OPCW had suspended Syria’s voting rights in 2021 after concluding that its air force used sarin and chlorine gas against civilians.
The August 2013 chemical attack was the deadliest of the war, according to US intelligence and rights groups cited by Al Jazeera and AFP. The Syrian army was accused of gassing rebel-held areas, killing more than 1,400 men, women and children.
At the height of the civil war, Assad’s government agreed to surrender its chemical weapons stockpile while facing the threat of US military action, according to Al Jazeera and AFP. Damascus later faced accusations of four additional sarin and chlorine attacks on opposition-held towns between 2014 and 2017.
Wider arrests of Assad-era figures
Ali’s detention is part of a broader series of arrests involving former Assad-era officials, according to Al Jazeera and AFP. In April, Syria’s judiciary began public trials of former officials, with some defendants facing charges that amount to war crimes linked to the 2011 uprising and its violent suppression.
Since Assad’s fall in December 2024, Syrian authorities have arrested dozens of people over alleged crimes committed during the country’s 13-year civil war, according to Al Jazeera and AFP. The Interior Ministry did not give further details in the report on Ali’s legal status or any court date.
This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.