Freelance American journalist Austin Tice has reportedly been found alive after spending 12 years in captivity in Syria having been captured close to Damascus in 2012
Syria: Footage purports to show missing US journalist Austin Bennett Tice
A viral video spreading online has fuelled claims an American journalist captured 12 years ago in Syria has been found alive after more than a decade in tyrant Bashar al-Assad’s prisons – though this remains unconfirmed.
Austin Tice was 31 at the time of his capture back in 2012, when he was covering the Syrian civil war. Now, after rebels stormed Damascus, forcing despot Bashar al-Assad to flee. Now, a video appearing to show a man with a resemblance to Mr Tice has circulated online.
This has not yet been confirmed by any official sources. It comes after his family said they were “incredibly hopeful” that he could safely return home following the fall of Assad’s regime as the leader’s prisons empty and the extent of alleged torture and war crimes is laid bare.
While footage claiming to show Austin is circulating widely online, it has not yet been confirmed as the missing journalist, and some are doubtful of the truth that it is him. Retweeting a copy of the video which said it showed an “American journalist” who was found by Syrian locals “disorented and barefoot”, CNN Chief International Correspondent Clarissa Ward said: “This is 100% not Austin Tice. I have no idea who it is but it is not Austin.”
Speaking to Sky News’ Yalda Hakim this week, his brother, Jacob, said: “We know that every effort is being exdtended right now to search for him throughout Syria, throughout Damascus. We know that there are people on the ground who love Austin.
“There are people who are committed to his return, and they are working tirelessly right now to bring him home. That gives us tremendous hope, tremendous optimism. And again, we implore anybody there who is listening, anybody who hears this to help bring Austin back to us, to help reunite him with his family.”
Over the weekend, President Joe Biden said the US government believed Austin was alive, adding that Washington was committed to bringing him home. Speaking to reporters at the White House, Biden said: “We think we can get him back”.
While he acknowledged “we have no direct evidence” of his status and said officials still needed to track down his location, he said: “We’ve remained committed to returning him to his family.” Austin, from Houston, Texas, was a freelance journalist who had work published by The Washington Post among other outlets.
State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said on Tuesday: “We do continue to believe that he is alive and we continue to make clear in all of our conversations either with entities on the ground in Syria or with entities that may be in communication with those on the ground in Syria, that we have no higher priority than the safe return of Austin Tice to his family.”
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