Va. man allegedly worked for Syrian intelligence

McLEAN, Va. (AP) — A Syrian-born, naturalized U.S. citizen has been indicted for spying on U.S. activists opposed to the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and providing intelligence to that country’s intelligence agents.

According to an indictment unsealed today, Mohamad Soueid of Leesburg, Va., was arrested Tuesday and charged with conspiring to act in the U.S. as an agent of a foreign government. Soueid will make an initial appearance in U.S. District Court in Alexandria on Wednesday afternoon.

According to the indictment, Soueid sent 20 audio and video recordings between April and June to Syrian’s intelligence agency. They depict protests in this country against the Syrian regime, which has cracked down ruthlessly on anti-government protesters there.

The indictment also states that Soueid traveled to Syria in June to meet with al-Assad personally.