Assad Regime Detained US Journalist Austin Tice In Syria: Report

NDTV

5 days ago

Washington:
For over a decade, the disappearance of American journalist Austin Tice remained one of the most haunting mysteries of the Syrian civil war. A former Marine turned freelance war correspondent, Tice went missing near Damascus in August 2012, days after celebrating his 31st birthday.
Now, newly uncovered top secret intelligence files and testimony from former Syrian officials have confirmed for the first time what many feared: Tice was imprisoned by the now-deposed Syrian leader, Bashar al-Assad.
The revelations came from a year-long BBC investigation that took reporters into the heart of Syria's dark intelligence apparatus. Accompanying a Syrian investigator into a deserted regime facility, journalists discovered a cache of documents, some stamped "top secret", bearing Austin Tice's name.
In 2012, the former Georgetown law student was last seen near the Damascus suburb of Darayya, a known flashpoint during the conflict.
Weeks later, a disturbing video showing him blindfolded, hands bound, and forced to recite Islamic verses surfaced. He was never seen again. Many initially assumed it was the work of a jihadist group. American officials quickly cast doubt, suggesting the scene may have been staged like a performance, possibly designed to mislead.
What Happened
The BBC investigation reveals that Tice was detained by Assad's own machinery of control and not militants. Communications between branches of Syrian intelligence confirm that he was held in Damascus in 2012. A senior intelligence officer and a Syrian official both corroborated that Tice was imprisoned in a facility called Tahouneh, controlled by the pro-Assad National Defence Forces (NDF).
The files also describe his condition. Tice reportedly fell ill with a viral infection and received medical treatment at least twice. A man who visited the facility and saw him told the BBC, "He looked sad, and that the joy had gone from his face."
Former regime insiders said Tice was treated somewhat better than Syrian detainees but always with a purpose in mind. One former NDF member explained, "Austin's value was understood," adding he was a card that could be played in diplomatic negotiations with the US.
Did Austin Tice Escape Syria?
At one point, Austin Tice managed a brief escape, squeezing through a window in his cell, only to be recaptured. He was interrogated at least twice by Syrian intelligence officers, sometime between late 2012 and early 2013. Then, he vanished into the system.
Throughout the years, the Assad regime denied any knowledge of his whereabouts. No group ever claimed responsibility.
In December 2024, after Assad's government collapsed, former US President Joe Biden said he believed Austin Tice was still alive. Two days before that, Tice's mother had publicly shared that a "significant source" had confirmed her son was alive and "being treated well."
But when the regime's prisons were thrown open after Assad's fall, Tice was not among the freed. His whereabouts remain unknown.