This is not an easy place to get your bike stolen.

In the early hours of thursday morning (3.45 am, 21.01.2010) a group of five thieves arrived in a grey KIA, at a nearby intersection. Two went to the bike, that was parked outside of the Hotel Alrabie. One of them (see picture below) is an expert on bikes, he broke the locks and started the bike in only three minutes. He turned the bike around. Falling off after a few meters, picking the bike up and riding it away.

There are no big bikes in Damaskus, as they are not allowed. The thief has experience riding a big bike and breaking the locks. Maybe he is not from Syria, maybe he is from Lebanon.

Anyway there is no market here to sell the bike, or the parts. But there is in Lebanon.

So far, all the media people (I dont want to call them journalists) I talked to, cant or dont want to do publish anything. It is depressing, because nobody tells you the truth.

The police is no help at all, even the German embassy put a lot of pressure on them.

I could find an expert to edit the video (which is bad quality) and we could get a picture of the thief. See below.

A German friend is here now, with his bike. And we plan to go twoup to Lebanon for a few days.

I would need contacts in Lebanon, Bike clubs etc.

Mika

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mika,

I'm very sorry about the loss of your bike, but I'm not sure why you're surprised that the police don't care--despite German embassy "pressure"--it would be little different in most countries as far as I know...

And the "picture" is not particularly helpful--more than anything else it looks like a cartoon drawing of someone's grandmother, and I can't see how it would be helpful to anyone.

I appreciate your efforts to get the bike back, and wish you the best of luck, but I would not get your hopes up...

@ motoreiter

thank you for your reply and your statement.

have you ever been in Syria more than a few days?

there is more police (and people working together with similar services) here than in most countries (compare to the population). and in general Syria is a save country for travellers. this has not happened to a traveller here before, so I expected the police to do it more, as they promised.

But you are right I should not be surprised that all this huge police force does not get any info about the bike from their bosses. And that the police unit working on the case does not do much.

as there are no big bikes here, and the thief is a professional, I would say even a picture like this could help. anyway I dont have a better one right now.

In any other country I could just buy advertising space and publish the picture of the bike, but not in Syria.

I would appreciate you send me only PM and not post here again, because I dont need people telling me to give up.

Mika

Don't give up mika, or be desponded by any negative comments, everyone hopes that your bike will 'turn-up' with little or no damage.
Good luck

__________________
'He who laughs last, was too slow to get the joke'
Never confuse the map with the journey.

Hey Mika,

it sounds unbelievable! How could this happen???

I hope you will get it back, I would spend at least 2 more weeks in the city, maybe you can buy it back for a reasonable price...sounds stupid I know, but I heard similar stories before...

Good luck! See you at the HU Germany or Italy Meeting!

Jens from Worms/ Germany