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Syrian regime planned American journalist's kidnapping for weeks
npr.org • • nation
Key Points:
- American journalist Austin Tice was kidnapped in Syria in 2012 through a carefully planned operation sanctioned by then-President Bashar al-Assad, according to new investigations by BBC and NPR reporters.
- The abduction was orchestrated via Tice's trusted driver, Hamid Abu Obeid, who reportedly collaborated with Assad's National Defense Force militia, receiving promises of citizenship and rewards in exchange for handing over Tice.
- Newly uncovered Syrian intelligence files confirm Tice was held by the Assad regime, dispelling earlier beliefs that his capture was opportunistic; the operation was approved at the highest levels of Syrian government.
- Tice, a former U.S. Marine and freelance war reporter, was suspected by Syrian authorities of being a CIA operative due to his military background, although U.S. officials deny this claim.
- After Assad's regime collapsed in 2024, investigations revealed that Abu Obeid disappeared under mysterious circumstances following threats related to his role in the abduction, and his family remains unaware of his whereabouts.
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