For 13 years, the disappearance of American journalist Austin Tice in Syria has haunted his family and the world. Tice went missing in 2012 in a mysterious military zone tucked into the rocky slopes of Mount Qasioun, near the capital, Damascus. Though his family has held onto hope that he is still alive, a former high-ranking Syrian official has now broken the silence with a grim confession: Austin is dead.
The Confession of a Regime Insider
The stunning admission, reported by CNN on Monday (October 28th), came from Bassam al-Hassan. Al-Hassan was not only a close advisor to former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad but also the founder of the feared “National Defence Forces” (NDF) militia. He was the very person responsible for Austin Tice after he was detained in August 2012.
Following the fall of the Assad government in December 2024, many former Syrian officials came out of the shadows. Al-Hassan was among them, fleeing to Beirut, Lebanon, where he was eventually located and questioned by FBI investigators.
CNN’s team also tracked al-Hassan down to his Beirut apartment last month (September). In secretly filmed video, al-Hassan is heard saying: “Austin is definitely dead. I myself carried out his execution on Assad’s orders.”
He claimed that Bashar al-Assad personally instructed him to kill Austin in 2013. Though he allegedly objected, Assad remained firm.
Doubt and The Web of Lies
The information provided by al-Hassan to CNN has since been scrutinized. Critically, he failed an FBI polygraph test, casting significant doubt on the veracity of his confession. Nevertheless, his statement remains the most explicit indication of Austin Tice’s death to date.
Many believe the full truth remains hidden within a complex web of deceit—a pattern typical of the Assad regime’s decade-long campaign of murder and forced disappearances against its own people.
CNN’s own investigation spanned seven countries, interviewing former Syrian officials, eyewitnesses, and investigators. While Austin’s remains have yet to be recovered, the consensus among these sources is that he was killed around 2013.
Who Was Austin Tice?
A former U.S. Marine, Austin Tice went to Syria in 2012 to report on the civil war, sending his final report from the Damascus suburb of Daraya. He was documenting the Assad government’s repression while embedded with rebels, publishing reports in outlets including The Washington Post.
A dramatic, blindfolded video of Austin was later staged at a military camp called ‘Tahoune’ in September 2012, reportedly on al-Hassan’s orders. In the video, Austin was surrounded by men in Arab dress yelling “Allahu Akbar,” a deliberate attempt to frame his disappearance as an abduction by Islamist militants, not the Assad regime. U.S. analysts quickly dismissed the video as a clumsy setup orchestrated by the Syrian government.
A Mother’s Unwavering Faith
Despite multiple Syrian officials now confirming Austin’s death, his mother, Debra Tice, remains steadfast in her belief that her son is alive. “Austin Tice is alive. We are waiting for his release,” she insists.
Following Assad’s downfall, Debra Tice herself traveled to Damascus to meet with the new President, Ahmed al-Shar’a, continuing her long-running advocacy for the U.S. government to secure her son’s freedom.
Al-Hassan: A Dark Figure
Bassam al-Hassan is a notorious figure, subjected to UK and EU sanctions in 2011, followed by U.S. sanctions in 2014. He is accused of involvement in chemical weapons use and leading massacres against anti-government forces. In 2023, France even issued an arrest warrant for him and Assad on charges of war crimes.
Before the CNN team left his flat in Beirut, al-Hassan paused at the door, his eyes reddening. He offered a final statement: “It pains me to remember this. I didn’t want this to happen. I apologize to Austin’s mother.”
