Clarissa Ward meets with the man who held Austin Tice in captivity. The account is restrained, straightforward, with no calls to action.
“The Americans passed through here,” said a Syrian army guard, pointing to the steep road behind him. “I don’t know where they went; I am not allowed to go there.”
– a Syrian army guard
The blocked road leads to a labyrinth of military facilities on the slopes of Kasiyun Mountain outside Damascus. Investigators have drawn closer to sites that were previously in focus of the disappearance of Austin Tice – for more than a decade the case had remained a mystery.
A US ceremonial delegation arrived in a convoy of armored vehicles. Their mission was twofold: to determine where Tice may have been staying recently, and, if possible, to ascertain his last traces or locate the body.
The Objective of the Search and the Timeline of Events
The searches focused on a site known as the Syrian Scientific Research Center (SSRC). They lasted less than three days; on September 9, Israel struck the region, after which the delegation left the site.
The clue that led to the investigation came from several witnesses, including Bassam al-Hassan – an influential adviser to former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and the man who held Tice after his capture at the end of August 2012.
For 13 years the mystery of Austin Tice’s disappearance has troubled several U.S. administrations. After the Assad regime fell in December 2024, testimonies appeared more frequently. Al-Hassan, who previously hid abroad, traveled to Beirut, Lebanon, in April, where he was questioned by U.S. law enforcement officials together with several who sympathized with Tice’s capture.
“Of course, Austin is dead. Austin is dead.”
– Bassam al-Hassan
In September it was possible to trace al-Hassan’s residence in Beirut. After a knock on the door, the team introduced themselves as journalists, and during a twenty-minute conversation, for the first time since meeting with press representatives, al-Hassan said that the order for Tice’s execution may have come from higher leadership.
“I do not want to defend Bashar al-Assad, because he abandoned us and left.”
– Bassam al-Hassan
Al-Hassan asserts that the order was transmitted through a subordinate in the National Defense Forces (NDF). A confirmation of the statement has not been possible at this time: the subordinate is in Russia and refuses to answer questions through a mediator. Some sources note that intercepted data do not always provide a full picture, and official conclusions remain secret.
One source close to the investigation stressed: the investigation is ongoing, evidence gathered is being tracked on the ground, and the main goal is to reach the truth about Tice’s fate and to ensure a fair conclusion of the investigation.
“As well as a recovery operation this is also an active federal investigation and there is always the goal of trying to bring some justice to this situation.”
– a source close to the FBI investigation
Since Austin Tice disappeared, his family has not lost hope. His mother Debra Tice has repeatedly appealed to the government to do everything possible to bring her son home alive. This year, after the fall of the Assad regime, she again traveled to the Syrian capital in search of answers and met with the country’s new leader. She had previously described al-Hassan as a false figure.
“Austin Tice is alive. We hope to see him free,” said family representatives in response to the investigation’s report. Tice, a former U.S. Marine Corps officer, participated in reporting on events in Syria in 2012, and his latest report came from Darayya, a suburb of Damascus, which has since endured numerous fighting.
For more than a decade, talks about exchanging Tice have continued between the U.S. government and the Syrian leadership. Since his disappearance, new testimony has emerged that Tice may have been used in negotiations, but there is no direct confirmation yet. The investigation continues, and official conclusions remain open, leaving the Tice family hopeful for a full disclosure of the truth.
During a visit to al-Hassan’s Beirut residence and office, traces of past events were absent, but left a murky legacy of the regime that endured decades of conflict. The role of the investigation remains, and authorities continue to gather evidence as circumstances permit and in consideration of safety.
– Additional materials by journalist Zaher Jaber from Syria
