Racy photos of Bashar Assad discovered after his fall spark ridicule

Associated Press Beirut: Bizarre and personal photos of ousted Syrian President Bashar Assad have surfaced from his abandoned residences, sparking ridicule among Syrians who only until recently were persecuted for criticising his leadership. The images, reportedly discovered in photo albums from Assad's mansions in the hills of Damascus and Aleppo, painted an unflattering portrait of Bashar and his father, Hafez Assad, who had ruled Syria with an iron grip for decades. They stripped away the carefully constructed image that the Assad family had cultivated for decades.

One photo featured Hafez Assad in his underwear, striking a bodybuilder- like pose. Other images showed Bashar Assad in a Speedo flexing his biceps; astride a yellow motorcycle in his briefs; perched on a hand-cycle, also in his briefs; and staring blankly in a kitchen, wearing only white underwear and a sleeveless undershirt. Social media footage showed Syrians touring the Assads' opulent estates, revealing extravagant decor, jacuzzis and other lavish possessions out of reach of ordinary people living amid civil war since 2011.