Austin Tice, journalist kidnapped in Syria, believed to be alive and well, his family says
washington — family Austin TiceA freelance journalist kidnapped in Syria more than 12 years ago said they were told he was alive and well and they were frustrated that the U.S. government could not bring him home.
“We have received information from a significant source that has been reviewed throughout our government that Austin Tice has Austin Tice is alive and well, there’s no doubt about it.”
She said her son was “being cared for and doing well.”
Tice, a Marine Corps veteran and journalist who worked for CBS News, The Washington Post and McClatchy, disappeared on August 14, 2012, while reporting on the Syrian civil war. Weeks later, a brief video surfaced on YouTube and Facebook showing Theis, blindfolded and looking pained, with his apparent kidnapper. This was the last time I saw him.
No one has claimed responsibility for his disappearance, but President Biden said the United States is “confident that he is being held by the Syrian regime.”
Fort Worth Star-Telegram/Tribune News Service (Getty Images)
The U.S. government is blocking the release of information about the origins of Austin Tice’s health, his family says. But when asked if her son was being held by the Syrian government, Debra Theis said: “We’ve always known that.”
His father, Mark Theis, said the new information was “very different” from past clues.
“We believe this information is current. It shows that Austin was alive and cared for up until earlier this year,” he said.
Debra Theis added that the information is credible because “virtually every entity involved in security in the U.S. government has verified it.”
The parents and siblings of the missing journalists traveled to Washington this week to meet with government officials. Syrian rebel offensive Challenging the regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad. Family members said the meeting had been in preparation since July and was not prompted by the situation in Syria.
On Friday, they met with the National Security Council, including Biden’s national security adviser Jake Sullivan, ahead of a news conference. They met with the State Department on Thursday.
Family members said they asked whether the offensive in Syria could be used to reporters’ advantage and pleaded with Sullivan to commit that Biden would engage directly with Assad. But they said the family had received no guarantees.
His brother, Simon, said: “President Biden’s instructions to Austin were to do whatever it takes to bring him home, and there seems to be a huge disconnect in the actions and behavior of the people below him,” Theis said.
Debra Tice expressed optimism about the impact President-elect Donald Trump could have on the case once he takes office in January. She said Trump was “obsessed” with her son and getting him home during his first term, but members of his administration put up obstacles.
“Mike Pompeo and John Bolton did everything they could to prevent this from happening,” she said of Trump’s CIA director, secretary of state and national security adviser.
