Syrian militia leader close to Assad attends Special Olympics meeting in Paris

The photo of Omar al-Aroub at left was published by a militant with the Ba’ath Brigades. In the centre is a photo that al-Aroub posted of himself at the Champ-de-Mars in Paris on August 31, 2023. On the right is a photo of al-Aroub posing with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, taken from his Facebook page. © Observers

Omar al-Aroub, the current second-in-command in a Syrian pro-regime militia accused of war crimes travelled to Paris in August 2023 and received an official welcome as head of the Syrian Paralympic Committee. Our team identified images of al-Aroub armed and in uniform, wearing the logo of the Ba’ath Brigades. A man with links to al-Aroub confirmed his role in the brutal repression of anti-regime protests in Aleppo in 2011. 

Omar al-Aroub posted a photo of himself standing in front of the Eiffel Tower on August 31, 2023. Al-Aroub, who has close links to Syria’s ruling family, the Assads, is also second-in-command of a pro-regime militia called the Ba’ath Brigades, which has been accused of war crimes.