Hearing Delayed for Accused Syrian Spy From Virginia

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A detention hearing for a Virginia man accused of spying on protesters in the U.S. for Syria has been postponed until next week.

The hearing to decide whether Mohamad Soueid will remain jailed while he awaits trial is scheduled for Monday in federal court in Alexandria. It had initially been scheduled for Friday.

Prosecutors allege 47-year-old Soueid, a Syrian-born, naturalized U.S. citizen born, worked illegally with intelligence agencies in Damascus to monitor Syrian expatriates in the U.S. who have rallied against the regime of President Bashar Assad.

The Assad government has been brutally suppressing a popular revolt in Syria, and activists say the regime is also seeking to intimidate expatriates.

The Syrian government denies it used Soueid as an agent.

Prosecutors have sought to keep Soueid detained pending trial.