To the Victors Go the Spoils: Looters Plunder Bashir al-Assad’s Garage
As Islamist rebel forces stormed the palace of Bashar al-Assad in Damascus on Sunday, they discovered a treasure trove of high-end vehicles, including Mercedes, Porches, Audis, and Ferraris. The spoils of war were documented on social media, with videos showing looters touring a massive garage filled with the deposed dictator’s private collection of cars.
Among the many vehicles, a commenter pointed out a coveted Mercedes-Benz with gullwing doors. The garage also featured SUVs, motorcycles, ATVs, and what appears to be an armored truck. Rebels took selfies, fired guns into the air, and made off with anything that wasn’t bolted down as they explored the sprawling mansion, once described as an “echoing monument to dictator decor.”
Assad fled the palace by plane on Sunday, putting an end to 24 years of brutal rule during which the dictator and his family lived like emperors while the people suffered. The palace, a blocky fortress of stone and marble on a hill on the outskirts of Damascus, was left abandoned. Videos showed men hauling away furniture and artwork, while women in hijab picked through the dishes and bed linens.
The looters also discovered a bunker network hidden deep under the main structure, finding what appeared to be empty cigar boxes and gun cases. Some even ransacked the central bank, carrying off sacks of “money and valuables.” As one user wrote, “The smart people did not go to Assad’s palace for chandeliers, but to the bank for cash and gold!”