Assad's 'Spider' located: How a forgotten notebook led to the trail of the notorious arch-spy

A BBC investigation has tracked down Hussam Louka, a notorious Syrian intelligence official known as the 'Spider,' who disappeared following the collapse of the Bashar al-Assad regime in December 2024. Evidence, including a notebook found in his abandoned Damascus apartment containing 155 contacts, led reporters to discover that Louka had fled to Moscow. Accused of mass torture and the 2015 'children's massacre,' Louka's network of informants and brutal repression made him a key figure in the regime's security apparatus.