Assad regime planned US journalist Austin Tice's kidnap for weeks, BBC finds

A recent BBC investigation has uncovered compelling evidence indicating that the Assad regime orchestrated the kidnapping of American journalist Austin Tice, with the abduction reportedly planned for weeks. This new information, emerging from secret Syrian intelligence files and testimonies from former Syrian officials, contradicts years of denials by the Syrian government regarding their involvement in Tice's disappearance in August 2012.

The investigation, part of an upcoming BBC Radio 4 podcast, reveals that Tice was held in a regime-controlled facility in Damascus, specifically Tahouneh prison, by the National Defense Forces (NDF), a paramilitary group loyal to the former Syrian president. Internal communications between Syrian intelligence branches, explicitly naming Tice, were among the discovered documents, with one marked "top secret" confirming his detention in the capital in 2012.

Further claims from a former commander, Major General Bassam Al Hassan, suggest that Bashar al-Assad personally ordered Tice's execution in 2013 following a brief escape attempt. However, both US authorities and Tice's family have expressed skepticism regarding these execution claims, with the family maintaining their belief that Austin Tice is still alive.