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BBC finds Assad circle planned Tice kidnap before 31st birthday
BBC News··17 Sept
US journalist Austin Tice, missing in Syria since 2012, was taken in an operation planned for more than a month, a BBC investigation found. A former National Defence Forces member said President Bashar al-Assad approved the abduction. Secret files after the regime's fall showed the Assad state held Tice. He marked his 31st birthday near Damascus on 11 August 2012.
Prism
What It Means For You
- Tice's family and US officials still lack confirmed remains; a former Syrian commander said he was executed.
- Hundreds of pages of secret files are the first definitive proof the regime held him, the BBC said.
- Coordinates of suspected detention sites yielded no sign of him in a month-long search.
What's Happening
- Abu Ali, a former NDF member, said Tice's driver tipped Sakr Rustom, nephew of Bassam al-Hassan.
- Abu Ali said Hassan telephoned Assad, who replied bring him to us.
- On 11 August 2012 Tice marked his 31st birthday near Damascus before vanishing.
How the Abduction Was Built
- For years many assumed Tice hit a chance checkpoint; the BBC says planning lasted weeks.
- Operatives allegedly searched Tice's backpack, MacBook and satellite gear before the grab.
- The BBC found no evidence Tice was a CIA officer, despite regime suspicions.
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