Bassel al-Assad

Basil al -Assad (Arabic باسل الأسد, DMG Basil al - Asad; * 1963, † January 21, 1994 ), also Bassel al- Assad, the eldest son of former President Hafez al -Assad of Syria and the brother was currently in office President Bashar al -Assad.

Life

Basil was from his childhood at predetermined to take over his father's presidency. Basil was head of the presidential security apparatus and sat down in anti-corruption campaign within the regime the big picture. He often appeared in full military uniform at official occasions, in order to express the solidarity of regime and the armed forces. Basil also had a reputation as a lover of fast sports cars.

Fatal Accident

In the early morning hours of January 21, 1994 Basil drove his Mercedes -Benz foggy visibility conditions and with clearly excessive speed of nearly 130 km / h over the access road from Damascus to 30km outside the city located International Airport Damascus to a last-minute to achieve flight to Germany. With him, his cousin Hafiz Makhluf drove in the passenger seat and a chauffeur in the back seat, of the car later in the city should return. After Basil had missed the exit to the airport, the car collided with a concrete barrier and rolled over several times. Basil al -Assad died instantly, while Hafiz Makhluf escaped with a head injury and the driver was unhurt.

Aftermath

Basil's death meant that his hitherto standing in the background younger brother Bashar al - Assad, in London went through the training to the eye doctor at the time, aufrückte as successor to the presidency. Bashar was after his father's death in 2000, President.

Basil is designated by the state Syrian media as " Basil the Martyr " and many squares and streets, as well as the airport in Latakia or a dam project in Tartus, were named after him. Portraits of him along with his father and his brother are to be found in the whole of Syria and also statues of him are available in several Syrian cities. He was buried in Qardaha, the birthplace of his father in a large mausoleum where his father Hafez al -Assad was buried in 2000.