US EditionFrom Mossad Spy to War Crimes Suspect: Syrian General Indicted in Austria
Ali al-Halabi faces trial in Austria for leading a torture network against protest detainees and allegedly acting as an Israeli Mossad dual agent, with at least 21 victims identified.
- Last year, Ali al-Halabi was arrested in Austria and indicted on torture and war-crimes charges, marking the first Syrian war-crimes case tried there.
- Ali al-Halabi joined Assad's intelligence in 2001 and by 2008 led branch 335 in Raqqa, overseeing crackdowns after 2011 protests; he fled Syria in March 2013, escaping via Turkey and Jordan to Paris, France.
- Austrian prosecutors say at least 21 victims described repeated beatings and electric shocks, while Dr. Ouda al-Hamda recounted a night of torture in al-Halabi's office in February 2012.
- Allegations say Mossad funded an apartment and helped obtain a residence permit in Vienna, while five Austrians—four former BVT agents and one immigration official—were charged in April 2023 but later acquitted.
- Civil-Society researchers including Open Society and the Commission for International Justice and Accountability tracked him via a Budapest bridge photo and passed evidence to Austrian authorities, while prosecutors say the case exposes shadowy postwar intelligence cooperation allowing war criminals to evade justice.
18 Articles
18 Articles
Report: Former Syrian official, ex-Mossad double agent, charged with torture in Austria
A former Syrian official who once worked as a double agent for the Mossad has been charged in Austria with torture during the 2011 Arab Spring protests, The New York Times reported. The official reportedly fled to Europe in 2013 and was ultimately smuggled into Vienna with Israel's help
Austrian authorities have charged former Syrian general Khaled al-Halabi with torture and war crimes committed in Syria during the Syrian revolution to overthrow Assad's rule...
Austrian Indictment: Senior Syrian officer who tortured civilians was Mossad agent
A senior official in Assad’s regime is accused of torture and the killing of detainees. According to the prosecution, he hid in Europe for years with the help of intelligence agencies, including the Mossad.
Syrian officer accused of torture hid in Europe for years with Mossad’s help
Khaled al-Halabi, a Syrian-Druze officer accused of torturing detainees during the 2011 Arab Spring crackdown, fled to Europe and vanished in 2015; he was arrested last year in Austria, where he allegedly lived in a Mossad-funded apartment under a secret deal
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