Ex-Syrian commander claims missing US journalist Austin Tice was executed

The antheral accused of being liable for holding the missing American writer Austin Tice has claimed that ousted Syrian President Bashar al-Assad ordered his execution, information sources person told the BBC.

Major General Bassam Al Hassan is simply a erstwhile commandant successful the Republican Guards who was portion of President Assad's interior circle.

He was besides the Chief of Staff of the National Defence Forces (NDF), the paramilitary radical that a BBC probe uncovered was responsible for holding Mr Tice aft his abduction successful 2012.

The find was made arsenic portion of an upcoming BBC Radio 4 podcast astir the disappearance of Austin Tice.

The American writer vanished adjacent the Syrian superior of Damascus successful August 2012, conscionable days aft his 31st birthday.

He had been moving arsenic a freelance writer and was leaving Syria erstwhile helium was abducted.

The fallen authorities consistently denied knowing of his whereabouts - the BBC probe showed that was mendacious and that Mr Tice was being held successful Damascus.

Al Hassan, who is taxable to UK, EU, Canadian and US sanctions, oversaw the installation wherever Mr Tice was held.

Earlier this year, helium is said to person met with US instrumentality enforcement astatine slightest 3 times successful Lebanon.

Sources assertion that astatine slightest 1 of those meetings was successful the US embassy complex.

During these conversations, helium is said to person told investigators from the FBI and CIA that the now-ousted President Assad ordered the execution of missing American writer Austin Tice.

Sources acquainted with the conversations told the BBC that Al Hassan claims to person initially tried to dissuade President Assad from sidesplitting Mr Tice, but that helium yet passed connected this bid and that it was carried out.

Al Hassan is besides understood to person provided imaginable locations for the journalist's body. Sources acquainted with the FBI probe person said that efforts to corroborate the validity of Al Hassan's claims are ongoing, and that a hunt is intended to hap of the sites wherever Mr Tice's assemblage could be.

Western quality sources acquainted with the details of Al Hassan's assertion that President Assad gave the bid to termination Mr Tice are sceptical that helium would straight springiness specified an instruction, arsenic helium is known for having mechanisms for distancing himself from specified actions.

The BBC accompanied Mr Tice's mother, Debra, to Beirut arsenic the 13th day of her son's disappearance approaches. Upon uncovering retired that Bassam al Hassan had spoken to US officials, Debra Tice attempted to conscionable with Al Hassan herself and contacted the US embassy requesting assistance.

She told the BBC: "I conscionable privation to beryllium capable to talk to him arsenic a parent and inquire him astir my son." Her effort to conscionable with Al Hassan was unsuccessful.

When asked astir the claims by Al Hassan, she said her feeling was that helium "fed the FBI a communicative that they wanted to hear" to assistance them adjacent the case.

Debra Tice has led a tireless and determined run to bring her lad location and remains committed to uncovering him. She told the BBC: "I americium his mother, I inactive judge that my lad is live and that helium volition locomotion free."

Separately, a erstwhile subordinate of the NDF with intimate cognition of Austin Tice's detention told the BBC "that Austin's worth was understood" and that helium was a "card" that could beryllium played successful diplomatic negotiations with the US.

Bassam Al Hassan was considered 1 of President Assad's astir trusted advisors. After the Syrian regime's illness successful December, Mr Al Hassan had fled to Iran.

Sources adjacent to him person told the BBC that portion successful Iran, Al Hassan received a telephone telephone and was asked to travel to Lebanon to conscionable with US officials. It is believed that helium was fixed assurances that helium would not beryllium detained.

For years, consecutive US presidents person said that Mr Tice, a erstwhile US Marine captain, who served successful Iraq and Afghanistan and was a instrumentality pupil astatine the prestigious Georgetown University successful Washington, was alive.

In December 2024, past President Joe Biden told reporters astatine the White House that "we judge he's alive," and that "we deliberation we tin get him back, but we person nary nonstop grounds of that yet".