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Assad regime planned US journalist's kidnap for weeks, BBC finds
BBC • • nation
Key Points:
- US journalist Austin Tice was kidnapped in Syria in 2012 through a carefully planned operation that lasted over a month, with the abduction allegedly sanctioned by then-President Bashar al-Assad.
- Tice's trusted driver, later identified as Hamid Abu Obeid, was involved in the abduction, betraying Tice by leading him to a regime-controlled facility where he was detained.
- Secret Syrian intelligence files confirm that the Assad regime held Tice, but despite extensive searches and investigations, his fate remains unknown, with some claiming he was executed while no remains have been found.
- The operation was reportedly coordinated through high-level regime contacts, including Bassam al-Hassan, a trusted security official, and involved the National Defence Forces militia loyal to Assad.
- Both Tice's and Abu Obeid's families continue to seek answers about their loved ones' whereabouts amidst ongoing uncertainty and fear following their disappearances.
