Bassel al-Assad

Bassel al-Assad (Arabic: باسل الأسد‎, Bāssel al-Assad) (March 23, 1962 – January 21, 1994) was a son of Syrian President Hafez al-Assad.

Biography

From a young age, Basil was groomed to fill the role of President by his father. He was chief of presidential security while running a highly publicized anti-corruption campaign within the regime, and frequently appeared in full military uniform at official receptions, signalling the regime's commitment to the armed forces. He also had a reputation for being an aficionado of fast cars.

In January 1994, driving his own Mercedes at high speed through fog to Damascus International Airport in the small hours of the morning, Basil is said to have collided with a motorway roundabout and died instantly. There has been occasional speculation by opponent's to the Syrian regime and their secret services, that his death may have been a murder cover-up, but this has not been suggested by the Syrian government and no evidence in support of such a theory has, as far is known, been presented elsewhere.

His death led to his lesser-known brother Bashar al-Assad, then undertaking sub-speciality training in ophthalmology in London, assuming the mantle of President-in-waiting. Bashar became President upon the death of Hafez on June 10, 2000.

The state-run Syrian media sometimes refers to him as "Basil the Martyr" (, ), and numerous squares and streets have been named after him. His statue is found in...
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