Sons of ‘chemical weapons’ chief are British citizens
London bankers’ father is accused of heading Syrian chemical weapons sites targeted by allied airstrikes
By Robert Mendick CHIEF REPORTER
and Callum Adams
THE youngest son of Syria’s alleged chemical weapons chief was granted British citizenship a year after his father was first placed on a sanctions blacklist.
Bisher Armanazi, an investment banker in London, was made a UK citizen in 2013 at a time when Amr Armanazi was placed under US sanctions. He was subsequently placed on European Union and UK sanctions lists in 2014.
Home Office guidance was changed in 2015 to allow applicants to be refused citizenship based on “family association to individuals engaged in terrorism or unacceptable behaviour”. Armanazi, 74, was targeted for sanctions over his role as directorgeneral of the Syrian Scientific Studies and Research Centre (SSRC), the body accused of developing Bashar alassad’s chemical weapons programme.
His two sons were granted British citizenship – one before the start of the Syrian conflict in 2009 and the other in 2013, at a time when the SSRC was being implicated in a sarin gas attack on Ghouta.
Armanazi was first placed on a US sanctions list in September 2012 for having overseen “a facility that was involved in the production of sarin nerve agent”, according to the US Treasury department.
Their analysis described the SSRC as “the Syrian government agency responsible for developing and producing non-conventional weapons and the missiles to deliver them”.
It added: “The SSRC also has a public civilian research function; however, its activities focus on the development of biological weapons, chemical weapons, and missiles.” According to reports, Armanazi had been a frequent visitor to the UK – although the sanctions now prevent him travelling to Europe and the US and freeze assets in those countries.
At least three of Armanazi’s four children were educated at British universities.
His two sons Zayd, 37, and Bisher, 34, both studied at Imperial College London and stayed on in the capital to work in the banking industry.
Both own properties in London, where they live with their families.
Zayd was granted UK citizenship in 2009 while Bisher became a British citizen in 2013. Zayd has, according to reports, condemned chemical weapons attacks in Syria as a “heinous crime”. He told The Sunday Times last year: “Every single death is a death too many.”
Bisher added at the time: “It’s heartbreaking to see the society I had once known and adored disintegrate.”
Neither son could be contacted for comment yesterday.
According to Israeli press reports, Armanazi became close to Assad in the Nineties when Assad managed the Syrian Computer Society and Armanazi was a director in charge of training. Armanazi later was put in charge of SSRC, which has responsibility for developing nuclear and chemical weapons. It is claimed that in 2001, Armanazi headed up its military branch and worked with North Korea.
Armanazi’s brother Ghayth also lives in London and was granted UK citizenship in 2013.
Ghayth was a diplomat and formerly a senior figure with the British-syrian Society, a group set up to promote relations between the two countries.
Ghayth has insisted that his brother has been wrongly accused of being involved with the chemical weapons attacks on the Syrian people.
He said of his brother: “He handles just normal civilian operations.”
‘ The SSRC’S… activities focus on the development of biological [and] chemical weapons, and missiles’