Inside The Search for Kidnapped American Journalist Austin Tice

With the fall of Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad, the search for an American journalist who has been imprisoned for over 12 years has intensified.

Austin Tice, 43, was detained at a checkpoint while traveling from a suburb of Damascus to Lebanon in 2012. He was working as a freelance journalist for various publications including The Washington Post. A month after his capture, he appeared in a video sent to his family showing him with armed men, titled “Austin Tice is Alive.” It included no other information. It is believed that Tice escaped weeks after he was kidnapped but was recaptured by Syrian intelligence.

The toppling of Assad created new hope in the efforts to find Tice, as one of the rebels’ first priorities was to break into Syria’s prisons and release political prisoners.

Western journalists and NGO workers are inspecting prisons, Israel is refraining from bombing areas where Tice may be, and Russian President Vladimir Putin has said he will get involved in the effort to find Tice, who U.S. intelligence officials believe is alive.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is currently offering a $1 million reward for information leading to Tice’s return home.

The U.S. government is operating under the belief that Tice is alive and was imprisoned by the Assad regime in one of its detention centers, Axios reported. Tice’s parents — who have been constantly fighting for his release — said they received assurances he is alive.

One prisoner, an American, appeared in initial videos following his release lying on a mattress, sparking speculation that he might be Tice, until it was later confirmed that he was Travis Timmerman of Missouri. Mrs. Tice said seeing Timmerman’s release felt “like a rehearsal” for her son’s future release.

“It was almost like having a rehearsal … an inkling of what it’s really going to feel like when it is Austin walking free,” she told NBC television’s “Meet the Press.”

Debra Tice (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

The rebel group — which is designated as a terrorist organization — led by Mohammad al-Jolani (Ahmed Hussein al-Shara), has reportedly agreed to cooperate with the U.S. government in the search for Tice. Al-Jolani’s group, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, has been given a list of former Syrian officials who may have knowledge about Tice, reported The New York Times. The list was reportedly short because only a small group in Assad’s government were informed on Tice.

Since the fall of the Assad regime, Israel has launched air strikes to destroy Syria’s weapons and military infrastructure including its air defenses, aircraft, missiles, UAVs, radars, and more.

Mrs. Tice, worried about the bombing campaign’s interference in rescuing her son, sent Netanyahu a letter on Tuesday stating that she has “credible information” that her son might be in a prison near Damascus, and asked him to pause until Tice is rescued, Axios reported.

On Wednesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu assured Mrs. Tice that the Israeli Defense Forces are not targeting areas where her son may be located.

“In response to your letter, please rest assured that Israel and its intelligence agencies are fully coordinated with the relevant American authorities on the matter and that the IDF is not active in the area where Austin may be located,” Netanyahu wrote.

Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu’s letter to Austin Tice’s mother.

“In response to your letter, please rest assured that Israel and its intelligence agencies are fully coordinated with the relevant American authorities on the matter and that the IDF is not active in the area where… pic.twitter.com/pu72sF3HYQ

— Kassy Akiva (@KassyAkiva) December 19, 2024

“I hope that you find a measure of comfort in that knowledge that your son’s courage and dedication as a journalist have not gone unnoticed,” Netanyahu added. “His commitment to the truth and to shining a light on the war in Syria have inspired so many people.”

Mrs. Tice spoke at the National Press Club earlier this month, stating that she was given reassurances that Tice is alive and has been treated well.

“We have from a significant source that has already been vetted all over our government that Austin Tice is alive. Austin Tice is treated well, and there is no doubt about that,” she said.

Debra Tice: “We have from a significant source that has been already been vetted all over our government: Austin Tice is alive. Austin Tice is treated well, and there is no doubt about that.” pic.twitter.com/Iqj5h971io

— CSPAN (@cspan) December 6, 2024

NGO Hostage Aid Worldwide, sent its president, Nizar Zakka, to Syria to assist in the search for Tice.

During a press conference this week, Putin said he would ask President Bashar al-Assad — who fled to Russia following his regime’s collapse — about Tice’s whereabouts.

“I haven’t met with President [Bashar al-]Assad since his arrival in Moscow, but I plan to do so, I will definitely talk to him,” Putin said, reported CNN.

But Putin expressed doubt that Tice could be found, citing the lengthy time since his detainment.

“But you and I are adults, we understand, right?” Putin said. “12 years ago, a man disappeared in Syria, 12 years ago! We understand what the situation was there 12 years ago, there was active military action, and on both sides. Does President Assad himself know what happened to this American citizen, a journalist who was doing his journalistic duty in a combat zone? Nevertheless, I promise that I will ask this question to those people who control the situation on the ground in Syria today.”

Putin was asked the question following Mrs. Tice requesting his help in a letter, due to his strong ties to the Syrian government.

“The current situation in Syria compels us to ask for your help in finding Austin and safely reuniting our family,” she reportedly wrote in the letter. “You have profound connections with the Syrian government, which can be a great benefit for our unrelenting efforts to find our Austin and reunite our family.”

In August 2024, the twelfth anniversary of Tice’s abduction, Secretary of State Antony Blinken reiterated the calls for his release in a statement.

“For more than a quarter of his life, Austin has been separated from his family and kept in unknown conditions,” Blinken’s statement reads. “We know that the Syrian government has held Austin, and we have repeatedly offered to find a way to bring him home.”

In August 2020, on the eighth anniversary of his capture, President-elect Donald Trump issued a statement calling for Tice’s release and urged the Syrian government to assist in his return.

“There is no higher priority in my administration than the recovery and return of Americans missing abroad,” Trump wrote. “The Tice family deserves answers. We stand with the Tice family and will not rest until we bring Austin home.”

The Tice family praised Trump for sending Kash Patel to Syria to open a dialogue about Tice’s return. The family said they were closer than they “have ever been to having Austin safely home” at the time.

The family also met with President Joe Biden, who they said made “significant, encouraging commitments” in the efforts to bring Tice home.

A Houston native, Tice served as a captain in the Marine Corps, is an Eagle Scout, and graduated from Georgetown University. He has won several journalism awards, including the 2012 George Polk Award for War Reporting, the 2012 McClatchy Newspapers President’s Award, and the 2015 National Press Club John Aubuchon Freedom of the Press Award, the Houston Chronicle reported.

Tice traveled to Syria to freelance in the summer of 2012 before his last year at Georgetown Law School. He is reportedly the longest-held journalist in captivity, according to the National Press Club.