The collapse of Assad’s regime is being watched closely by the family of Austin Tice, an American journalist who has been missing in Syria for more than a decade. His mother, Debra, said last week she was confident her son was alive, citing information she said came from a “significant source,” without elaborating.
Biden, speaking Sunday, said his administration remains committed to returning Tice to his family.
“We think we can get him back, but we have no direct evidence of that,” Biden said.
Tice, now 43, is a former U.S. Marine who was working as a freelance journalist in Syria ahead of his final year at Georgetown Law School when he vanished in 2012. He has not been heard from since.
A video released a month after he disappeared shows him blindfolded and trembling as he’s led up a hillside by armed men.
“Oh, Jesus,” Tice says in the video. “Oh, Jesus.”
In a statement on Sunday, Tice’s parents, Marc and Debra Tice, said: “We are eagerly anticipating seeing Austin walk free. We are asking anyone who can do so to please assist Austin so he can safely return home to his family.”
A senior U.S. government official pointed out the $1 million reward that was put out by the FBI in 2022, recognizing the 10th anniversary of his kidnapping.
“The United States Government is offering a reward of up to $1 million for information leading directly to the safe location, recovery, and return of Austin Bennett Tice,” according to the FBI’s website.
