Latest news with #AustinTice
CNN
5 days ago
- Politics
- CNN
Missing journalist's father responds to reports he was ‘executed'
Missing journalist's father responds to reports he was 'executed' CNN's Erin Burnett talks with Marc Trice, the father of missing journalist Austin Tice, about reports that his son was 'executed' in Syria. 02:32 - Source: CNN Vertical Top News 11 videos Missing journalist's father responds to reports he was 'executed' CNN's Erin Burnett talks with Marc Trice, the father of missing journalist Austin Tice, about reports that his son was 'executed' in Syria. 02:32 - Source: CNN Trump's sons announce mobile phone company Trump Mobile, a wireless service created by the Trump Organization, aims to rival US carrier companies like AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile. The Trump Organization, run by President Donald Trump's eldest sons Eric and Donald Jr., announced the business and launched a new gold smartphone for pre-order. 01:09 - Source: CNN Ex-Israeli Defense Minister's message to Trump Benny Gantz, Chairman of Israel's National Unity Party, and the former Minister of Defense speaks to CNN's Anderson Cooper following Israel's attack on Iran. 01:08 - Source: CNN Minnesota suspect went to 4 state lawmaker homes night of shootings The suspect in the killing of a Minnesota lawmaker and her husband in addition to the shooting of another lawmaker and his wife also visited two more politicians' homes, according to authorities. 02:08 - Source: CNN Trump slams G7 for kicking out Russia President Donald Trump kicked off his visit to the G7 summit in Canada by criticizing nations for kicking out Russia eleven years ago. 00:36 - Source: CNN Iranian state television says it was attacked by Israel The studio complex of Iran's state news channel IRINN was struck by Israel on Monday, according to the country's state news agency. A loud explosion was heard while an anchor was presenting live on air, according to a live feed. 00:19 - Source: CNN The biggest moments from Karen Read murder trial closing arguments The jury is deliberating the fate of Karen Read in the murder trial of her Boston Police Officer boyfriend, John O'Keefe. CNN's Jean Casarez shares the biggest moments from closing arguments of the trial. 02:18 - Source: CNN Juror dismissed in Sean 'Diddy' Combs' criminal trial The judge in the Sean 'Diddy' Combs trial has dismissed juror No. 6 over the juror's inconsistent disclosures about where he lives and with whom. Juror No. 6 will be replaced by the first alternate juror. 01:44 - Source: CNN CNN sees crater from Iranian strike Emergency teams in Tel Aviv, Israel, have been responding to the damage caused by Iran's latest ballistic missile strike on the city. CNN's Nic Robertson reports from a large crater in the center where nearby residents have been forced to evacuate their homes. 00:33 - Source: CNN Scene outside assassinated state representative's home CNN's Whitney Wild is outside the home of Minnesota State Representative Melissa Hortman, who was shot and killed in a "politically motivated assassination" along with her husband early Saturday morning. Police are still searching for the suspect. 00:41 - Source: CNN Shooting at Salt Lake City 'No Kings' march Officers responded to gunshots at a 'No Kings' march in Salt Lake City, Utah and took three people into custody in relation to the incident. One person was transferred to the hospital with life-threatening injuries. Salt Lake City police said the motive for the shooting was under investigation. 00:26 - Source: CNN
CNN
5 days ago
- Politics
- CNN
Father of missing journalist Austin Tice responds to claims that his son was executed
After a top former Syrian general says that missing journalist Austin Tice was executed by the Syrian regime, Tice's father Marc Tice speaks with CNN's Erin Burnett about this latest claim.
CNN
5 days ago
- Politics
- CNN
Father of missing journalist Austin Tice responds to claims that his son was executed
After a top former Syrian general says that missing journalist Austin Tice was executed by the Syrian regime, Tice's father Marc Tice speaks with CNN's Erin Burnett about this latest claim.
The Guardian
6 days ago
- Politics
- The Guardian
Syrian general says missing US journalist Austin Tice was killed
A high-ranking Syrian general under former president Bashar al-Assad who is now in Lebanon has reportedly told US investigators that the American journalist Austin Tice, who disappeared in 2012, is dead. Bassam Hassan was a top security adviser once accused of facilitating chemical attacks on civilians. In a recent meeting with the FBI and CIA, he claimed that Assad – who was ousted in December and has since fled to Moscow – ordered Tice's execution, according to the New York Times and the BBC, which first reported the allegation. Each media organization cited sources familiar with the matter. Hassan's claims remain unverified. Tice, a former Marine who had done freelance journalism for the Washington Post and CBS, among other outlets, was abducted at a Damascus checkpoint in August 2012 when he was 31 years old. He briefly escaped but was recaptured and reportedly held in a detention center under Hassan's control. US officials have long suspected Hassan's involvement in Tice's imprisonment. Hassan is also seen as a valuable source on other US intelligence interests, including Syria's chemical weapons program and Iranian activity in the region. Over the years conflicting reports have surfaced regarding whether Tice is still alive. In response to Hassan's account, the Tice family issued a statement to the New York Times, saying they were disappointed it had been published and doubted it was true. Hassan was sanctioned by the US in 2014 for arms procurement and is wanted by French judges for allegedly helping coordinate sarin gas attacks in 2013. He reportedly maintained close ties with Iran's Revolutionary Guards in Syria. In December 2024, after rebel forces seized Damascus, Hassan fled to Iran with Iranian assistance. He later traveled voluntarily to Lebanon. Since April, US investigators have interviewed Hassan multiple times, though the extent of his cooperation remains unclear. Tice's whereabouts had long been a subject of mystery. After his abduction footage was released showing him blindfolded and surrounded by armed, masked men, but US officials believed it was staged in an attempt to frame militants for the kidnapping. Diplomatic efforts and a CIA-led task force tried unsuccessfully to find him, even offering rewards. But the fall of Assad's regime had raised hopes of resolving the case and Syria's new president, Ahmed al-Shara, has pledged to assist the search. Earlier this month, BBC News obtained intelligence files reportedly confirming Tice had been imprisoned in Damascus. In a rare admission, the former Syrian general Safwan Bahloul said he personally interrogated Tice, marking the first time a Syrian official has acknowledged direct contact. Debra Tice, his mother, told the Guardian in January that the family was not giving up hope in the search for her son. 'Austin, if you can somehow hear this, I love you. I know you're not giving up and neither am I,' she said.
Arab News
6 days ago
- Politics
- Arab News
Ex-Syrian commander claims Assad ordered execution of missing US journalist Tice: BBC
LONDON: A former Syrian commander who allegedly oversaw the detention of missing American journalist Austin Tice claims that ex-President Bashar Assad personally ordered Tice's execution, according to a BBC investigation released over the weekend. The report centers on Maj. Gen. Bassam al-Hassan, a former commander in the elite Republican Guard and one of Assad's most trusted advisers. According to the BBC, Hassan spoke to FBI and CIA officials about Tice's fate during at least three meetings in Lebanon, one of which reportedly took place inside the US embassy compound. Hassan, who also served as chief of staff of the National Defense Forces — a pro-regime paramilitary group previously linked by the BBC to Tice's abduction — allegedly oversaw the facility where the journalist was held. Sources close to Hassan said that in 2013, following Tice's brief escape attempt, he was instructed to execute him. According to the sources, Hassan initially sought to dissuade Assad but ultimately relayed the order, which was then carried out. The detail of Tice's escape attempt aligns with prior reports, including a Reuters investigation citing witnesses who recalled seeing 'an American man, dressed in ragged clothing' attempting to escape through the streets of Damascus' upscale Mazzeh neighborhood — believed to be Tice's final sighting. Tice disappeared in August 2012 while reporting on Syria's civil war in the Damascus suburbs, just days after his 31st birthday. A former US Marine captain who had served in Iraq and Afghanistan, Tice was working as a freelance journalist while studying for a law degree at Georgetown University. He was abducted while preparing to leave the country to go to Lebanon. For years, the Assad regime has denied any knowledge of Tice's whereabouts or involvement in his disappearance. However, the BBC previously reported that classified documents obtained during its investigation supported long-standing suspicions by US authorities that Damascus was directly involved. The latest investigation suggests that Tice was held in the notorious Tahouneh prison, a regime-controlled facility in Damascus. Hassan is also said to have provided the US officials with possible locations for Tice's remains, though efforts to verify his claims are ongoing. 'There is not anything, at least at this time, to corroborate what (Hassan) is saying,' a source familiar with the investigation told The Washington Post. 'The flip side of it is, with his role in the regime, it's hard to understand why he would want to lie about something like that.' Despite the recent developments, skepticism persists. Western intelligence officials expressed doubt that Assad would have issued a direct kill order, noting that the Syrian president typically relies on intermediaries to insulate himself from such decisions. Speaking to the BBC during a recent trip to Lebanon, Tice's mother, Debra Tice, said she believed Hassan may have told US officials 'a story they wanted to hear' to help close the case. 'I am his mother. I still believe that my son is alive and that he will walk free,' she said. A former NDF member also told the BBC that Tice was viewed as a valuable bargaining chip for possible negotiations with Washington. According to the report, Hassan fled to Iran following the collapse of the Syrian regime in December. He was later contacted by phone and invited to Lebanon to meet US officials, who assured him he would not be detained. The BBC revelations come on the heels of an interview published by The Economist with Safwan Bahloul, a three-star general who previously served in Syria's external intelligence agency and was tasked with interrogating Tice. Bahloul, who speaks fluent English and has lived in Britain, said Hassan assigned him to question Tice and handed him the American's iPhone. His mission was to determine whether Tice was 'merely a journalist' or 'an American spy.' Bahloul also said Hassan orchestrated the recording of a video, released on YouTube in September 2012, that showed Tice blindfolded and surrounded by armed men. US intelligence later concluded that the video had been staged by the regime to suggest that Tice was being held by Islamic militants.
