BBC investigation links Assad-loyal militia to planned abduction of Austin Tice
A years-long BBC investigation reports that the US journalist’s 2012 disappearance was planned for more than a month. His fate remains unknown.
US journalist Austin Tice’s abduction in Syria was a calculated operation involving Assad-loyal militia members, according to a BBC investigation published on Thursday. The former US Marine disappeared in August 2012 while reporting on the Syrian civil war.
The BBC reports that Tice was taken to a state facility near Damascus after being driven there by Hamid Abu Obeid, a man he knew and trusted. Multiple sources identified Abu Obeid as the driver, while former National Defence Forces member Abu Ali said the militia had monitored Tice before detaining him.
Abu Ali claims the operation was approved by Bashar al-Assad after information about Tice was passed through senior National Defence Forces figures. The allegation has not been independently confirmed in the source material.
The BBC says secret Syrian intelligence files obtained after the regime’s collapse provide definitive evidence that the regime held Tice. The investigation also found no evidence supporting claims that Tice was a CIA officer, despite suspicions among those monitoring his activities.
Tice was last seen in a video released more than a month after his capture, blindfolded and appearing distressed. A former Syrian commander has claimed he was executed, but that account has been disputed and no remains have been found.
Abu Obeid’s whereabouts are also unknown. His family said he disappeared after allegedly receiving threats linked to his involvement in Tice’s abduction, while his wife said masked men later took some of his possessions. Tice’s mother has continued pressing successive US presidents for information about her son.
