A high-ranking Syrian general has told US investigators that American journalist Austin Tice, missing since 2012, is dead. Bassam Hassan, a former security adviser under ousted president Bashar al-Assad, reportedly claimed Assad ordered Tice's execution, according to sources cited by the New York Times and BBC.
Hassan, now in Lebanon after fleeing Syria, was a top security official once accused of facilitating chemical attacks. He stated that Tice, a former marine who worked as a freelance journalist, was abducted at a Damascus checkpoint in August 2012, briefly escaped, was recaptured, and held in a detention centre under Hassan's control.
US officials have long suspected Hassan's involvement in Tice's imprisonment. Hassan is also considered a valuable source on other intelligence matters, including Syria's chemical weapons programme and Iranian activity. However, his claims about Tice's death remain unverified.
The Tice family expressed disappointment over the report, doubting its veracity. Over the years, conflicting reports have surfaced about whether Tice is still alive. In December 2024, after rebel forces seized Damascus, Hassan fled to Iran with Iranian assistance before travelling voluntarily to Lebanon.
Since April, US investigators have interviewed Hassan multiple times, though the extent of his cooperation is unclear. The fall of Assad's regime had raised hopes of resolving the case, and Syria's new president, Ahmed al-Shara, has pledged to assist the search. Earlier this month, BBC News obtained intelligence files reportedly confirming Tice had been imprisoned in Damascus.
