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 â alongside testimonies from former Syrian officials â 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 Ticeâs 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 âstaged.â
Austin Tice in Cairo in March 2012. (AFP/File)
In early 2013, Reuters reported that âan American man, dressed in ragged clothing,â was seen attempting to escape through the streets of Damascusâ 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 BBCâs 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 âuntil at least February 2013.â
According to the report, Tice suffered from stomach problems while in the NDFâs captivity and was treated by a doctor at least twice, including for a viral infection.
A witness who saw him during detention said Tice âlooked sadâ and âthe joy had gone from his face,â 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 âintimate knowledge of Austinâs detention,â said the regime saw Tice as a âcardâ 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 Ticeâs 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.
Screengrab taken from a video on YouTube on October 1, 2012 shows Austin Tice, 31-years-old, blindfolded with men believed to be his captors at an undisclosed location in Syria.
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 âvery few people in a safe house in order to do an exchange or a deal.â
Two days before Bidenâs remarks, Ticeâs mother, Debra, said a âsignificant sourceâ 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 Republicâs new president, Ahmed Al-Sharaa, in Riyadh, Trump told reporters, âAustin has not been seen in many, many years,â without elaborating.
The comment came days after Sky News Arabia falsely reported that Ticeâs body had been discovered in a cemetery in northern Syria, a claim the family condemned as âdeeply disrespectful.â
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 Assadâs rule.
