bashar al assad may be the face of the syrian regime but behind the scenes one of the siblings may be directing some of the most brutal atrocities. cnn's brian todd is here and he's been taking a closer look at the younger brother. what do we know about maher al assad? >> he's a key player in some of the most vicious fighting in this civil war. we know he has a crucial role to advising his brother and between the two of them maher is not the one you would want to come across in a dark alley. we want to alert you some of the images in this story may be disturbing to some viewers. >> reporter: many decisions on the brute force inside the syrian regime are connected not only to president bashar al assad but also to a man a couple of years youngerer were often by the president's side, often in the shadows, his brother maher. >> maher is the kneecaper. he's the charge of securing,