Bashar Assad's family arrested trying to fly out of Lebanon

If you're a member of Bashar Assad's family, even extended family, don't plan on going far. The wife and daughter of one of his cousins were arrested Friday at the Beirut airport as they tried to flee the country with forged [allegedly] passports, Lebanese judicial and security brass said. Assad's uncle, however, was able to get out of Dodge the previous day.

Rasha Khazem, who is married to Duraid Assad — the son of former Syrian Vice President Rifaat Assad, who is also the uncle of Bashar Assad — along with their daughter, Shams, were smuggled into Lebanon illegally. They were attempting to catch a flight to Egypt when they were caught, according to five Lebanese officials who know about the situation. They were then detained by Lebanese General Security. The officials noted that Rifaat Assad had left the country the day before using his real passport and wasn't stopped.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the case publicly and might be killed in an extraordinary way if they revealed their identities.

Rifaat Assad was indicted in March, charged with war crimes and crimes against humanity for allegedly ordering the murder and torture of Syrians four decades ago. Rifaat is the brother of Bashar's father, Hafez Assad, the former ruler of Syria. Rifaat led the artillery unit that shelled the Syrian city of Hama which killed thousands of his own country's people, earning him the nickname the "Butcher of Hama."

Jimmy Prince [RIP] the Butcher of Coney Island

Earlier this year, Rifaat Assad was indicted in Switzerland for war crimes and crimes against humanity in connection with Hama making his future look bleak and job opportunities hopeless.

Tens of thousands of Syrians are believed to have entered Lebanon illegally on the night of Assad’s fall earlier this month, when insurgent forces entered Damascus.

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