RCMP lay charges against ex-Syrian colonel for torture of Ottawa engineer Maher Arar, lawyer says

An RCMP document charges Col. George Salloum with torture.

It is unclear whether he can be located and since Syria is beset by warring factions, casting doubt on the prospect of a trial any time soon.

It marks the second time in recent months the RCMP have laid charges against someone in a far-flung country for a crime committed many years ago.

In June, almost seven years after the overseas hostage-taking of former journalist Amanda Lindhout, the RCMP arrested and charged a Somalian man.

Lindhout and photographer Nigel Brennan were seized by young gunmen near strife-torn Mogadishu, Somalia, in August 2008. Both were released on Nov. 25, 2009.

Ali Omar Ader, a Somalian national, faces a charge of hostage-taking for his purported role as a negotiator.

This article was originally posted here