Inside the abandoned homes of Assad's ruthless enforcers

Jamil Hassan, 1 of the astir feared men successful Bashar al-Assad's Syrian regime, wanted for the torture and sidesplitting of civilians, was shaking arsenic helium walked down the stairs of his flat block.

Outside, the 72-year-old climbed into a car successful a tiny convoy with his household and a fistful of information guards, conscionable a fewer suitcases betwixt them.

His neighbour and her teenage lad watched.

"I knew the infinitesimal I saw them fly that Assad had fallen," she says.

When we entered Hassan's flat a fewer days later, signs of the family's hasty departure were everywhere.

In the fridge was a half-eaten carrot barroom with a weapon inactive connected the plate. The beds were strewn with apparel and bare shoeboxes. Flowers wilted successful a vase successful the eating room, and cups and plates had been near to adust by the sink.

A framed photograph of a smiling Hassan and Assad hung connected the partition of the study, with substance reading: "Our skies are for america and forbidden to others".

Hassan, referred to arsenic "the butcher" by galore civilians connected his street, was 1 of Assad's astir menacing enforcers. He led the Air Force Intelligence and oversaw a web of detention facilities including the notorious Mezzeh Prison, wherever detainees were routinely tortured.

He is 1 of galore elder authorities figures wanted oregon sanctioned astir the satellite who person abandoned their homes successful affluent areas of Damascus and vanished.

Finding these men who ruled Syria with an robust fist volition beryllium difficult. Some fearfulness they volition onslaught governmental deals overseas and evade justice.

Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which led the run to topple the regime, has vowed to hunt for them wrong Syria. Rebels aligned with the radical present inhabit Hassan's flat and a handwritten enactment connected the beforehand doorway warns radical not to enter.

When we asked them wherever Hassan mightiness person gone, 1 grinned and replied: "I don't cognize - to Hell."

Many flat shutters connected Hassan's quiescent thoroughfare successful cardinal Damascus are present closed. Knocks connected doors spell unanswered.

Those who volition talk archer america astir their fearfulness astatine surviving connected a thoroughfare with a wanted warfare criminal. "We were truthful acrophobic to talk," says the pistillate who watched him flee. "It was terrifying to unrecorded adjacent to them."

Hassan is wanted successful the US for "engaging successful conspiracy to perpetrate cruel and inhuman attraction of civilian detainees, including US citizens". He was convicted successful absentia earlier this twelvemonth successful France for his relation successful imprisoning, disappearing and torturing 2 Syrian-French nationals. Germany wants him too. An Interpol Red Notice shows a photograph of Hassan alongside a note that helium is wanted for "conspiracy to perpetrate warfare crimes".

He was placed nether question bans and had his assets frozen implicit the repression of civilian protesters. In April 2011 the US says Air Force Intelligence unit fired teardrop state and unrecorded ammunition astatine protesting crowds successful Damascus and different cities, sidesplitting astatine slightest 43.

People connected the thoroughfare picture a formidable fig who was unapproachable and ever surrounded by guards.

A makeshift information station extracurricular Hassan's flat gathering was perpetually staffed by subject personnel. The nighttime earlier the authorities collapsed, the men simply took disconnected their uniforms and discarded their weapons, according to different neighbour.

"It was the archetypal clip I'd seen this station with nary lights, nary sounds, nary noise," says 27-year-old Amr al-Bakri, a filmmaker who lives with his household successful the gathering adjacent door.

He said locals "knew what helium did to the Syrians - extracurricular of Damascus and successful Damascus - truthful we cognize it but we can't accidental anything, conscionable 'good greeting sir'. He'd accidental thing back."

Amr says his household had to springiness distant their favored canine aft Hassan's guards threatened to termination it if it didn't halt barking. When Amr's household asked for the defender station to beryllium moved from extracurricular their home, they were told they should determination location instead, helium says.

The guards would tally regular inspections connected the thoroughfare and cheque the bags of visitors.

"Sometimes if I had a plumber oregon handyman to travel and hole thing 1 of the guards would travel and cheque if determination was truly thing that needed to beryllium fixed," says the pistillate surviving successful Hassan's building.

Neighbours besides accidental Hassan had a "golden line" for energy that meant his family's lights were ever on, portion different homes successful the neighbourhood were successful darkness.

The electrician called to hole immoderate problems astatine the flat says helium knew Hassan implicit galore years "but lone from a distance". "[Hassan] was precise strict - a subject personality," the antheral says. "He was a butcher… He had nary mercy."

The antheral told BBC News helium had been successful situation - not astatine Mezzeh but elsewhere - and was tortured there.

A section shopkeeper, Mohammed Naoura, says helium didn't similar Hassan but that you had to look to enactment him.

"We are blessed now," helium adds. "Nobody believed this would ever happen."

Hussam Luka, caput of the General Security Directorate (GSD), was little well-known among residents but had an flat underneath Hassan.

His "ruthless, smooth-talking nature" reportedly earned him the nickname "the spider" - and he's nether sanctions successful the EU, US and UK.

A UK sanctions database says helium was "responsible for the torture of opponents successful custody", portion the US Treasury Department says helium "reportedly committed a fig of massacres" portion moving successful Homs.

The White House has said helium is 1 of a tiny radical of officials who mightiness person accusation astir missing American writer Austin Tice.

At his location connected Monday, rebels were dismantling furnishings to beryllium enactment into storage. They said they arrived aft looters had already taken galore of the astir costly items.

A photograph of Luka and Assad remained, printed successful antithetic sizes and styles, alongside documents from information and quality events, and ceremonial medals and certificates from the overseas spy work successful Russia - wherever the deposed Syrian person Assad has fled.

"This grant is to the coordinator of the mukhabarat [intelligence service] organ successful the confederate provinces of the Syrian Arab Republic," 1 certificate naming Luka says. "You showed the utmost professionalism and enactment successful immense effort to fulfil the duties entrusted to you for the bully of the Syrian people."

As rebels wide the apartment, a neighbour wanders successful to spot what's happening.

When asked what she knows astir the authorities official, she replies: "We support to ourselves, they support to themselves. No 1 successful this gathering interacts with each other." She walks away.

In different affluent areas much homes person been abandoned. Fridges are afloat stocked, wardrobes afloat and successful immoderate cases question documents near behind.

The rebels who person taken implicit the homes are utilizing them arsenic bases, and accidental they are besides preventing further looting.

At 1 lavish apartment, men accidental they are sleeping connected blankets connected marble floors beneath elephantine chandeliers and cooking connected a campy stove successful its modern kitchen. Guns are propped against plush sofas and limb chairs.

"We don't request immoderate of this," a rebel says, gesticulating astir the room.

At another, a kid peaks done the curtain of a sprawling ground-floor flat with an outdoor swimming pool. A ample household accidental they are occupying the space.

Perhaps the grandest location successful the country is the modern labyrinthine underground dwelling of 1 of the country's best-known businessmen - Khodr Taher Bin Ali, amended known arsenic Abu Ali Khodr.

Bin Ali has been sanctioned by the US, UK and EU for his relation successful supporting and benefiting from the Syrian regime.

His location has an elevator, a full-size gym, an indoor swimming pool, jacuzzi and sauna, and an concern kitchen.

In the maestro bedroom, determination are 2 aureate safes, with abstraction for dozens of watches - successful a drawer determination is simply a forgotten warranty paper for luxury marque Audemars Piguet. A weapon lawsuit and jewellery boxes successful the wardrobe are empty.

The children's ensuite bedrooms inactive person toys and a Louis Vuitton handbag connected the level and homework and schoolhouse reports are successful the cupboards. A Quran rests connected a countertop with the words "A acquisition from the president Bashar al-Assad" inscribed connected the side.

Around the country from Bin Ali is the location of Ali Mamlouk, 1 of Assad's closest associates and among the astir elder and notorious members of the regime. He was reportedly fixed the nickname "black box" due to the fact that of his power implicit delicate information.

He was sentenced alongside Hassan by French judges this twelvemonth for warfare crimes, and is besides wanted successful Lebanon for 2 explosions successful 2012 successful the metropolis of Tripoli that killed and wounded dozens.

Like Luka, the White House believes Mamlouk is 1 of fewer men who could person accusation astir Tice.

His location is padlocked shut, and rebels are much reluctant to assistance introduction there.

In a defender booth outside, determination are notes connected visitors to the spot earlier Assad's autumn - radical delivering chocolates, h2o and vegetables, and coming to hole the electricity.

"No 1 could see, nary 1 could walk, nary 1 could walk by this area. It's really the archetypal clip I'm seeing this spot from up close," says 17-year-old Mo Rasmi Taftaf, whose household ain a location nearby.

"Whenever helium came successful oregon out, guards would chopped the roads off," 1 neighbour says.

Shouting down from a second-floor balcony, different gestures towards Mamlouk's ample location erstwhile asked astir the wanted authorities figure.

"It felt similar determination was a unusual atmosphere" connected the thoroughfare the nighttime earlier quality broke that Assad had fled, helium says, without elaborating.

"His information was present astatine the clip but I saw them permission connected Sunday greeting - a batch of cars. Ali Mamlouk wasn't here," helium adds, earlier returning inside.

Another man, who declines to springiness his name, says helium doesn't privation to speech astir the authorities men.

"I conscionable privation to unrecorded successful peace. I don't privation to unfastened this publication oregon research each of these crimes - determination would beryllium a batch of blood."

Many, though, bash privation justice.

The person of HTS has vowed to prosecute the elder authorities figures successful Syria and asked different countries to manus implicit those who fled. Those wanted elsewhere person constricted places to run.

Finding the men volition beryllium a challenge.

"While determination is nary confirmed accusation connected the existent whereabouts of elder authorities figures similar Jamil Hassan, Ali Mamlouk, and others, determination are concerns that specified individuals could payment from governmental deals that alteration them to evade justice," the Syrian Center for Media and Freedom of Expression (SCM) tells the BBC.

"Some are apt to person sought refuge successful allied countries, complicating aboriginal extradition efforts, portion others whitethorn inactive beryllium successful Syria, surviving discreetly."

On Hassan's street, neighbours speculate astir wherever the vanished warfare transgression has gone.

His household near fewer clues successful the apartment. But successful the bureau is simply a certificate for Hassan's girl signed by Hassan Nasrallah, the precocious person of Lebanon-based Shia militant radical Hezbollah, thanking her for her "help and enactment for this honourable resistance".

Several neighbours suggest helium whitethorn beryllium hiding successful Lebanon oregon has transited done there, portion the section shopkeeper says helium thinks Hassan headed for the coast, possibly to Latakia successful the northbound - the heartland of the number Alawite sect to which Assad and galore of his closest allies belong.

Meanwhile, Lebanese paper Nida al-Watan reports that Mamlouk was smuggled crossed the borderline and into the Lebanese superior Beirut by Hezbollah - a long-time state of Syria's Ba'ath government.

Hezbollah has not confirmed offering assistance to immoderate authorities figures, and the Lebanese authorities has said nary Syrian officials targeted by planetary warrants were authorised to participate done ineligible crossings. Lebanese information services accidental Mamlouk is not successful the country.

Syrian-British barrister Ibrahim Olabi says authorities officials whitethorn person acquired caller identities and passports, arsenic they were almighty radical backed by authorities institutions.

When it comes to getting justice, helium adds, a deficiency of grounds is not the problem. It is much astir uncovering them and getting them to a spot wherever they tin beryllium held accountable.

The SCM says doing this volition "require sizeable resources, sustained governmental will, and planetary collaboration".

Failing to bash truthful volition nonstop a "dangerous connection that crimes, including warfare crimes and crimes against humanity, tin spell unpunished", it adds.

Ibrahim Olabi says helium is hopeful that justness volition beryllium served.

"It volition perfectly beryllium a hunt," helium says, but "the satellite present is simply a tiny spot done societal media, backstage investigators, governmental leverages".

Hassan's neighbours who were consenting to speech accidental they anticipation helium volition 1 time beryllium returned to Syria, acold distant from their street, to beryllium punished.