Newspaper Claims to Publish Private Assad Emails, Shows Couple’s Lifestyle
A British newspaper on Wednesday published emails it claims were sent by Syrian President Bashar Assad and his wife, allegedly revealing the couple’s lifestyle.
The messages believed to have been sent to and from the accounts document the couple's opulent lifestyle.
One exchange between the couple appears to show the president's wife spending thousands of dollars on candlesticks, tables and chandeliers via the Internet while another reveals the leader's eclectic taste in music.
Reported exchanges between Assad and iTunes show that the president downloaded songs by British pop duo Right Said Fred, U.S. country star Blake Shelton, electro-pioneers New Order and eccentric U.S. dance group LMFAO.
Assad apparently registered with a dummy email address to circumvent U.S. sanctions.
The Guardian contacted 10 people whose messages appear in the cache to confirm their authenticity, but admitted it had not been possible to verify everyone.
Activists said a mole within the president's inner circle provided them with a password for the account with the username am@alshahba which is believed to belong to the ruler.
On the eve of the first anniversary of the anti-regime revolt, Assad's opponents on Wednesday suffered setbacks on both the military and political fronts, with its Syrian National Council coalition hit by resignations.
Source: Agence France Presse
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