💡 Email me on lost@vandevliet.me, if you know anything about this please. Thank you 🙏
If you are reading this right now, you probably found your way here through my social media channels where I’ve been desperately trying to spread the word.
This is a post I never wanted to write. On May 7, while traveling through Iraq, all of my camera gear was stolen in Basra.
Here is exactly what happened, what was taken, and how you can help.
The Incident
I was driving north toward Nasiriyah and stopped for a quick coffee on Dinar Street in Basra, right near the Basra Times Square mall. I parked Bonnie, went inside, and when I came back out, my heart completely dropped.
Someone had used a knife to slash open my large motorcycle bag. They wiped me out completely—not just the camera gear, but also the clothes and toiletries that were packed inside that main bag.
The main bag behind is what was cut open
Because of the language barrier, trying to ask around the street for witnesses was incredibly difficult. Luckily, I found some local military personnel who were very kind and helped escorted me to the police station. The police weren’t exactly helpful, but they took down a definitive list of my items and told me they would look out for them.
The soldiers who helped me. Luckily I still had my Insta360 x3 and polaroid with me
Why This Is a Complete Disaster
As you know, I am a filmmaker. I had just crossed over the border from Iran, where I spent weeks on my motorcycle filming every single day of my journey to create a cinematic series for YouTube.
Because the internet in Iran is so heavily restricted and slow, I couldn’t backup any of my videos to the cloud. The only copies of that entire journey existed on my external SSDs. The raw heart and soul of that trip was on those drives.
Normally, I keep my camera gear in my rucksack on my back. But because I knew I had a long stretch of driving ahead of me to get to Nasiriyah, I decided to put the heavy camera bag inside my main motorcycle luggage to give my back a break while riding. It turned out to be the worst decision of the trip. The only saving grace is that my laptop was still in my rucksack, so I haven’t lost everything, but the footage and the tools of my trade are gone.
The Stolen Gear List
If you are in Iraq, look at local marketplaces, or browse online selling platforms, please keep an eye out for these specific items:
A fujifilm x-s10 (source)
- Camera: Fujifilm X-S10 (with camera harness)
- Lenses: Fujifilm 18mm, Fujifilm 90mm, and a 18-55mm kit lens
- Filters: Various ND (Neutral Density) filters
- Storage: Samsung 4TB SSD (This contains the priceless Iran footage)
- Rigging: Portable Zeapon Micro3 Pan Kit
- Support: Tripod equipped with a Gimbal head
- Accessories: Camera chargers, cables, a handful of SD cards, and extra batteries.
How You Can Help (Financial Reward)
If you have any tips, if you saw anything suspicious on Dinar Street on May 7, or if you see this gear being sold anywhere online or in person, please contact me immediately at: lost@vandevliet.me
Any tip that directly leads to the recovery of my gear and footage will be heavily financially rewarded.
Please share this post on your own channels, especially if you have connections to travel, photography, or local groups in Iraq. Thank you all so much for the support.
