Bashar al-Assad’s luxury vehicle fleet: reporter gains access

Syria’s former dictator Bashar al-Assad has left the country. His possessions remained behind – at least in part. Within a very short time, the rebels gained access to his gigantic palace and the surrounding grounds. Unknown people also filmed a warehouse full of expensive and sometimes bizarre vehicles that presumably belonged to the former ruler (Assad fled, but he left his luxury cars behind – this is what they look like). Based on some details in the poor quality video, it was quickly possible to determine the location of the hall and assign it to the Assad regime.

CNN reporter Clarissa Ward now gained access to the very garage that previously caused so much attention and anger. As a reminder, three quarters of the Syrian population lived below the poverty line while Assad spent millions on his cars. Against this background, the dictator’s collection – although it is inferior to the collections of some other autocrats in terms of value and variety – is an affront to the people.

It also looks like the hall shown isn’t the only place where expensive cars are located. Ward explains in her tour, which shows several of the already known vehicles, that she noticed “many halls” on the way there and that the surrounding outdoor areas were full of armored vehicles – which can also be seen on satellite images. “I can’t explain why anyone needs so many armored cars,” Ward wonders.

The journalist then shows an area of ​​the hall that was barely visible in the first video that went around the world. There are some vintage cars neatly lined up there, polished to a high gloss. “The reason this all matters and we’re talking about it is because this is an indication of the deep corruption of the Assad regime, which is a big reason why the uprising began,” explains the CNN reporter.

“Bashar al-Assad had ruled for several years, his father for many decades, and the level of corruption and greed, the opulence and lavish lifestyle while so many Syrians struggled to put food on the table is gigantic,” says Ward. “And Bashar al-Assad lived like a king.”

For the reporter, the car collection is a kind of metaphor for why there had to be a revolution in Syria. With her video, Clarissa Ward verifies the location of the car collection, but does not report the contents of the other halls she passed. It’s entirely possible that Assad’s luxurious collection could be quite a bit larger.

One can assume that more of Assad’s possessions will find their way into the public eye in the coming days and weeks – just as his regime’s atrocities are likely to be the case. (The horror of the Assad regime has a name: Saidnaya).