The phone book that led us to Assad's spy chief in hiding

For months we drew a blank in our hunt for Luka.And then we had our first breakthrough.One of those listed in the book, who we tried calling again, finally answered the phone.He had been the guard for Luka's apartment block, he told us, and eventually agreed to give us the number for someone he said had been Luka's personal bodyguard - a man we are calling Mahmoud.It took weeks to secure an interview with Mahmoud. Meetings would be scheduled but he would not show up, or he would request a meeting in a private space such as a car or apartment, which our reporter judged too much of a risk.They eventually met at a hotel one night, just before midnight. Broad-shouldered and physically imposing, Mahmoud seemed to be considering every answer carefully before he spoke.He told us he was angry with Luka for leaving him behind when the regime fell. As word had spread in December 2024 that Assad's rule was on the brink of collapse - with rebels advancing on the capital - Luka had said he would stay and defend Damascus, Mahmoud told us. But by the early hours of the next morning, Luka had disappeared, taking a large sum of money with him from the office safe, Mahmoud said.Mahmoud refused to sh...