Latest news with #AustinTice
Yahoo
12 hours ago
- General
- Yahoo
Missing reporter Austin Tice detained by Assad regime, documents show
June 2 (UPI) -- Missing American journalist Austin Tice was imprisoned by the regime of the since-deposed Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in 2012 with his whereabouts now not known, according to top secret intelligence files uncovered by the BBC. Former Syrian officials also have confirmed Tice's detention to the BBC. The material was part of a BBC investigation more than one year ago for a Radio 4 podcast series in accompanying a Syrian investigator to an intelligence facility. The Assad regime had denied they had imprisoned him, and didn't know where he was. The U.S. government believes he had been held by the Syrian government. Tice was a freelance journalist, a former U.S. Marine who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, and a law student at Georgetown University. He had gone to Syria to report on the civil war. Tice vanished near the Syrian capital of Damascus in August 2012, just days after his 31st birthday. About seven weeks later, a video posted online showed him blindfolded and with his hands bound. He was also forced to recite an Islamic declaration of faith by armed men. U.S. officials and analysts doubt he was abducted by a jihadist group and the scene "may have been staged." Instead, Tice allegedly was held by members of a paramilitary force loyal to Assad called the National Defence Forces. The files, which are labeled "Austin Tice," include communication from different branches of Syrian intelligence. Law enforcement verified their authenticity. In one "top secret" communication, he was held in a detention facility in Damascus in 2012. A Syrian official confirmed to the BBC he was there until at least February 2013. The BBC reported Tice briefly escaped by squeezing through a window in his cell, but he was later recaptured. Tice had developed stomach issues from a viral infection. A man who visited the facility told the BBC that Tice "looked sad, and that the joy had gone from his face." A former member of the NDF told the BBC that Tice was a "card" that could be played in diplomatic negotiations with the United States. After Assad's ouster in December 2024, U.S. President Joe Biden and mother, Debra Tice, said they believed he was alive. She said he was "treated well," according to a "significant source." Rebel forces stormed his regime-run jails in Damascus and other Syrian regions and freed them. Tice was not among them. The International Committee of the Red Cross said it has registered 35,000 cases of people who have gone missing in Syria in the past 13 years. Syria's Network for Human Rights put the number of Syrians "in forced disappearance" at 80,000 to 85,000 killed under torture in Assad's detention centers. Only 33,000 detainees have been found and freed from Syria's prisons since Assad's ouster, according to human rights network. On May 14, Trump met with the Syrian Arab Republic's new president, Ahmed Al-Sharaa, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Trump told reporters, "Austin has not been seen in many, many years," and gave no other details.
Miami Herald
12 hours ago
- Politics
- Miami Herald
Missing reporter Austin Tice detained by Assad regime, documents show
June 2 (UPI) -- Missing American journalist Austin Tice was imprisoned by the regime of the since-deposed Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in 2012 with his whereabouts now not known, according to top secret intelligence files uncovered by the BBC. Former Syrian officials also have confirmed Tice's detention to the BBC. The material was part of a BBC investigation more than one year ago for a Radio 4 podcast series in accompanying a Syrian investigator to an intelligence facility. The Assad regime had denied they had imprisoned him, and didn't know where he was. The U.S. government believes he had been held by the Syrian government. Tice was a freelance journalist, a former U.S. Marine who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, and a law student at Georgetown University. He had gone to Syria to report on the civil war. Tice vanished near the Syrian capital of Damascus in August 2012, just days after his 31st birthday. About seven weeks later, a video posted online showed him blindfolded and with his hands bound. He was also forced to recite an Islamic declaration of faith by armed men. U.S. officials and analysts doubt he was abducted by a jihadist group and the scene "may have been staged." Instead, Tice allegedly was held by members of a paramilitary force loyal to Assad called the National Defence Forces. The files, which are labeled "Austin Tice," include communication from different branches of Syrian intelligence. Law enforcement verified their authenticity. In one "top secret" communication, he was held in a detention facility in Damascus in 2012. A Syrian official confirmed to the BBC he was there until at least February 2013. The BBC reported Tice briefly escaped by squeezing through a window in his cell, but he was later recaptured. Tice had developed stomach issues from a viral infection. A man who visited the facility told the BBC that Tice "looked sad, and that the joy had gone from his face." A former member of the NDF told the BBC that Tice was a "card" that could be played in diplomatic negotiations with the United States. After Assad's ouster in December 2024, U.S. President Joe Biden and mother, Debra Tice, said they believed he was alive. She said he was "treated well," according to a "significant source." Rebel forces stormed his regime-run jails in Damascus and other Syrian regions and freed them. Tice was not among them. The International Committee of the Red Cross said it has registered 35,000 cases of people who have gone missing in Syria in the past 13 years. Syria's Network for Human Rights put the number of Syrians "in forced disappearance" at 80,000 to 85,000 killed under torture in Assad's detention centers. Only 33,000 detainees have been found and freed from Syria's prisons since Assad's ouster, according to human rights network. On May 14, Trump met with the Syrian Arab Republic's new president, Ahmed Al-Sharaa, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Trump told reporters, "Austin has not been seen in many, many years," and gave no other details. Copyright 2025 UPI News Corporation. All Rights Reserved.
UPI
13 hours ago
- Politics
- UPI
Missing reporter Austin Tice detained by Assad regime, documents show
1 of 2 | Debra Tice (R), mother of Austin Tice, speaks beside the National Press Club President Emily Wilkins during a news briefing in Washington, D.C., on May 3, 2024, about the status of the missing U.S. journalist. File photo by Michael Reynolds/EPA-EFE June 2 (UPI) -- Missing American journalist Austin Tice was imprisoned by the regime of the since-deposed Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in 2012 with his whereabouts now not known, according to top secret intelligence files uncovered by the BBC. Former Syrian officials also have confirmed Tice's detention to the BBC. The material was part of a BBC investigation more than one year ago for a Radio 4 podcast series in accompanying a Syrian investigator to an intelligence facility. The Assad regime had denied they had imprisoned him, and didn't know where he was. The U.S. government believes he had been held by the Syrian government. Tice was a freelance journalist, a former U.S. Marine who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, and a law student at Georgetown University. He had gone to Syria to report on the civil war. Tice vanished near the Syrian capital of Damascus in August 2012, just days after his 31st birthday. About seven weeks later, a video posted online showed him blindfolded and with his hands bound. He was also forced to recite an Islamic declaration of faith by armed men. U.S. officials and analysts doubt he was abducted by a jihadist group and the scene "may have been staged." Instead, Tice allegedly was held by members of a paramilitary force loyal to Assad called the National Defence Forces. The files, which are labeled "Austin Tice," include communication from different branches of Syrian intelligence. Law enforcement verified their authenticity. In one "top secret" communication, he was held in a detention facility in Damascus in 2012. A Syrian official confirmed to the BBC he was there until at least February 2013. The BBC reported Tice briefly escaped by squeezing through a window in his cell, but he was later recaptured. Tice had developed stomach issues from a viral infection. A man who visited the facility told the BBC that Tice "looked sad, and that the joy had gone from his face." A former member of the NDF told the BBC that Tice was a "card" that could be played in diplomatic negotiations with the United States. After Assad's ouster in December 2024, U.S. President Joe Biden and mother, Debra Tice, said they believed he was alive. She said he was "treated well," according to a "significant source." Rebel forces stormed his regime-run jails in Damascus and other Syrian regions and freed them. Tice was not among them. The International Committee of the Red Cross said it has registered 35,000 cases of people who have gone missing in Syria in the past 13 years. Syria's Network for Human Rights put the number of Syrians "in forced disappearance" at 80,000 to 85,000 killed under torture in Assad's detention centers. Only 33,000 detainees have been found and freed from Syria's prisons since Assad's ouster, according to human rights network. On May 14, Trump met with the Syrian Arab Republic's new president, Ahmed Al-Sharaa, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Trump told reporters, "Austin has not been seen in many, many years," and gave no other details.
Arab News
20 hours ago
- General
- Arab News
Missing US journalist Austin Tice was detained by Assad regime despite denials, BBC claims
LONDON: Top-secret Syrian intelligence files have confirmed that missing American journalist Austin Tice was held in detention by the regime of Bashar Assad, the BBC claimed on Monday, marking the most definitive evidence yet tying the former regime to his disappearance. Tice, a former US Marine turned freelance journalist, vanished in August 2012 near Darayya, a suburb of Damascus, just days after his 31st birthday while reporting on the escalating conflict. For years, the Syrian regime has consistently denied any involvement. However, files obtained by the BBC — alongside testimonies from former Syrian officials — appear to corroborate longstanding suspicions by US authorities that the Assad regime was behind his abduction. The documents include internal communications between branches of Syrian intelligence that explicitly name Tice and detail aspects of his detention following his capture near the capital, the BBC claimed. Shortly after his disappearance, the only public evidence of Tice's status came in the form of a video posted online showing him blindfolded, surrounded by armed men, and reciting the Islamic declaration of faith. Although the footage suggested extremist involvement, US intelligence at the time raised doubts about its authenticity, with one analyst calling it possibly 'staged.' In early 2013, Reuters reported that 'an American man, dressed in ragged clothing,' was seen attempting to escape through the streets of Damascus' upscale Mazzeh neighborhood before being recaptured after more than five months in captivity. He has not been seen since, and no group has ever claimed responsibility for holding him. The BBC's investigation, part of a long-running project for Radio 4, claimed that Tice was held in a regime-run detention facility believed to be the notorious Tahouneh prison in Damascus. A former senior Syrian intelligence officer testified that Tice was detained by the pro-Assad National Defence Forces 'until at least February 2013.' According to the report, Tice suffered from stomach problems while in the NDF's captivity and was treated by a doctor at least twice, including for a viral infection. A witness who saw him during detention said Tice 'looked sad' and 'the joy had gone from his face,' though he was reportedly treated more humanely than Syrian inmates due to his perceived value. A former member of the NDF, described by the BBC as having 'intimate knowledge of Austin's detention,' said the regime saw Tice as a 'card' to be used in negotiations with the US. The files also confirm that he attempted to escape through a window but was quickly apprehended and later interrogated at least twice, the BBC claimed. These newly uncovered documents appear to be the first hard evidence directly tying the Assad regime to Tice's imprisonment, undermining more than a decade of Syrian denials. The investigation was conducted in collaboration with a Syrian war crimes investigator, who granted BBC reporters access to the intelligence archive. Despite the collapse of the Assad regime in December, no trace of Tice was found among the prisoners released. Yet hope remains. In the immediate aftermath, then-US President Joe Biden reiterated his belief that Tice was still alive. That view was echoed by Nizar Zakka, head of a US-based hostage advocacy group, who claimed Tice was likely being held by 'very few people in a safe house in order to do an exchange or a deal.' Two days before Biden's remarks, Tice's mother, Debra, said a 'significant source' had confirmed her son was alive and being treated well. In early May, she told The Washington Post that the US government was aware of his location, though no further details were disclosed. President Donald Trump also placed a spotlight on the case during his recent visit to the Gulf. After meeting the Syrian Arab Republic's new president, Ahmed Al-Sharaa, in Riyadh, Trump told reporters, 'Austin has not been seen in many, many years,' without elaborating. The comment came days after Sky News Arabia falsely reported that Tice's body had been discovered in a cemetery in northern Syria, a claim the family condemned as 'deeply disrespectful.' The Tice family, who have led a decade-long campaign for answers, are aware of the new evidence, as are US officials and Syrian human rights groups. Tice, who served in Iraq and Afghanistan before studying law at Georgetown University, is believed to be one of the longest-held American hostages in history. According to the Syrian Network for Human Rights, more than 100,000 people disappeared during Assad's rule.
Roya News
a day ago
- Politics
- Roya News
Leaked files confirm Assad regime held missing US journalist Austin Tice
For over a decade, the fate of American journalist Austin Tice remained one of the most enduring mysteries of the Syrian conflict. Now, previously unseen intelligence documents obtained by the BBC provide the first concrete confirmation that Tice was held by Syrian authorities under the leadership of Bashar Al-Assad. The classified materials, verified by both the BBC and law enforcement sources, include internal communications between Syrian intelligence branches. They explicitly name Tice and detail aspects of his imprisonment following his 2012 abduction near Damascus. The findings, along with corroborating testimony from former Syrian officials, offer long-sought clarity about what happened to him in the early days of his disappearance. Tice, a freelance journalist and former US Marine, vanished in August 2012 near Darayya, a suburb of the Syrian capital, just days after turning 31. He had entered the country to report on the escalating civil war. Roughly seven weeks later, a video surfaced online showing Tice blindfolded and reciting an Islamic declaration while surrounded by armed men. Though the clip suggested extremist movements' involvement, US analysts at the time raised doubts about its authenticity, with one official stating the video "may have been staged." Despite years of speculation, no entity ever claimed responsibility for holding Tice. The Syrian government, under Assad, repeatedly denied having any knowledge of his whereabouts. That narrative has now been definitively challenged. One of the documents, stamped 'top secret,' places Tice in a government-run detention facility in Damascus in 2012. Sources familiar with the site identified it as Tahouneh prison. A former high-ranking Syrian intelligence officer confirmed to the BBC that Tice was held there by the National Defence Forces (NDF), a pro-Assad paramilitary group. A Syrian official told the BBC that Tice remained in custody at least until February 2013. During that time, he reportedly suffered from stomach problems and underwent medical treatment, including blood tests that revealed a viral infection. A visitor to the detention center who saw Tice recalled, "He looked sad, and that the joy had gone from his face," though he was said to be treated more humanely than Syrian inmates. In a rare account, a former NDF member with direct knowledge of Tice's detention said that his captors recognized his strategic value, stating that "Austin's value was understood" and that he was viewed as a "card" for potential diplomatic negotiations with the US. Tice allegedly made a brief escape attempt by climbing through a window, but was quickly apprehended. He is believed to have been interrogated at least twice by Syrian intelligence. The BBC's investigation is part of a long-running project that began over a year ago for a Radio 4 podcast. Reporters were granted access to a Syrian intelligence archive while working alongside a Syrian war crimes investigator. The documents they found are the first hard evidence to support long-standing US claims that Tice was in Syrian custody. When Bashar Al-Assad was deposed in December 2024, former US President Joe Biden expressed belief that Tice was still alive. Two days before, his mother Debra Tice shared that a 'significant source' had confirmed her son's survival and claimed he was being 'treated well.' Yet, when prisons across Syria were emptied following the regime's collapse, Tice was not among those released, and his current whereabouts remain unknown. The Tice family, who have led a relentless campaign for answers, are aware of the newly surfaced files, as are US officials and a Syrian group documenting human rights abuses under Assad. Tice, who once served in Iraq and Afghanistan before pursuing a law degree at Georgetown University, is now believed to be one of the longest-held American hostages. According to the Syrian Network for Human Rights, around 100,000 people were forcibly disappeared during Assad's rule. Tice's case, long marked by silence and uncertainty, now stands as a confirmed chapter in that broader tragedy.
