BBC Investigation Reveals Missing American Journalist Detained by Assad’s Forces

A recent investigation by the BBC has revealed conclusive evidence that American journalist Austin Tice, who went missing in 2012, was detained by the Syrian regime. 

This finding comes despite persistent denials from President Bashar al-Assad's administration over the years.

Documents obtained from an intelligence facility in Syria and validated by several former officials represent the first confirmed evidence of Mr. Tice’s detention. The files—labelled “Austin Tice” and classified as “top secret”—include communications from various branches of Syrian intelligence confirming his captivity in Damascus.

Tice, a former U.S. Marine and law student at Georgetown University, went missing in August 2012 in the vicinity of Darayya, a suburb of Damascus, while engaged in freelance journalism. In the weeks that followed, a video emerged depicting him blindfolded and encircled by armed individuals. 

Concerns have been raised by analysts regarding the authenticity of the video, who propose that it may have been orchestrated to conceal the identity of his actual captors.

Documents and witness accounts indicate that Tice was detained by the National Defence Forces, a paramilitary group aligned with Assad, and was in custody until at least February 2013. 

During this period, it has been reported that he experienced a viral illness, although he did receive medical care. A former detainee who encountered him reported that he appeared to be in good physical condition, yet emotionally shattered, stating, “the joy had gone from his face.”

According to a source, Tice managed to escape momentarily by squeezing through a window in his cell, but he was subsequently recaptured. He underwent interrogation by Syrian intelligence on at least two occasions.

Although former President Biden and Tice’s family said in late 2024 that they believed he was still alive, he was not found when Syrian prisons were emptied after Assad’s fall in December 2024. The location of the individual in question is currently unverified.

Tice's disappearance serves as a poignant reminder of the thousands of detentions that have occurred under Assad’s regime. The family remains steadfast in their efforts to secure his return, as mother Debra Tice recently reiterated her conviction that her son is still alive.

Journalist Tice was born in Texas and a website in his honor shows that Tice has been in captivity for 4676 days. Read more about the veteran journalist here: https://www.austinticefamily.com/