Ex-Assad official charged in California for 'flying carpet' torture at Syrian prison

When it comes to pursuing our criminal investigations, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) has a long reach and an even longer memory,

said Special Agent in Charge Eddy Wang of the HSI Los Angeles Field office

Samir Alsheikh is charged with torturing political dissidents and other prisoners to deter opposition to the regime of then-Syrian President Bashar al-Assad,

said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole Argentieri, head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division

Our country will not be a safe harbor for those accused of committing atrocities abroad,

he said

This is a misguided use of resources for the prosecution of a foreign national for alleged crimes that occurred in a foreign country against non-American citizens."

Marino said in an emailed statement to The Associated Press

This trial will send a clear message: the U.S. will not allow war criminals to seek refuge on its soil, regardless of whether their victims are American citizens,

he said

We are one step closer to holding him accountable for those heinous crimes. The United States will never be a safe haven for those who commit human rights abuses abroad,

said Eddy Wang, special agent in charge of the Homeland Security Investigations Los Angeles field office

It’s a huge step toward justice,

said Mouaz Moustafa, executive director of the U.S.-based Syrian Emergency Task Force

Our client vehemently denies these politically motivated and false accusations,

his lawyer, Nina Marino, said in an emailed statement

The allegations in this superseding indictment of grave human rights abuses are chilling,

he said