The Economist: Austin Tice was detained by the Assad regime with Bashar’s personal knowledge

The Economist magazine revealed new information on Wednesday regarding the fate of American journalist Austin Tice, who disappeared on August 13, 2012, at a regime checkpoint near Damascus.

The magazine confirmed that Tice was being held by the former Syrian regime with the direct knowledge of President Bashar al Assad.

The magazine quoted Major General Safwan Bahloul, a former officer in the regime’s security services, as saying that Tice wasn’t in the hands of opposition factions, as previously believed, but rather was being held in a compound housing Assad’s close aide near the presidential palace, as this compound is outside official prisons and is under the direct control of Assad loyalists.

Bahloul added that the operation to arrest Tice began after Bassam Hassan, founder of the National Defense militia and a close advisor to Assad, learned of his presence in Damascus.

Hassan devised a plan to arrest him as he prepared to cross the border into Lebanon, and that the intermediary Tice used to cross the border was working for Hassan.

Bahloul explained that Tice was being held in a garage inside Hassan’s compound, and that Assad was aware of this and expressed his relief at his detention.

Bahloul interrogated the journalist, who was in possession of a satellite communication device and two phones.

The general recounted the details of Tice’s escape attempt, saying he rubbed soap on his body to make it easier to pass through the window and used a towel to protect himself from broken glass, before being re-arrested 24 hours later.

The Economist also pointed to the only video showing Tice blindfolded and surrounded by masked men chanting “God is Great,” released in September 2012, stating that it was filmed directly by Bassam Hassan in the northern Damascus countryside.

There are multiple hypotheses surrounding Tice’s fate, as the Economist suggests he may still be alive in an isolated rural area on the Syrian coast, or he may have been secretly transferred to Iran or to areas under Hezbollah control in Lebanon.

It also suggests he may be being held in a secret prison or killed during the events.

The Economist magazine believes that the key to uncovering the journalist’s fate may lie with Bassam Hassan, Assad’s advisor and founder of the National Defense Forces militia.

It’s worth noting that secret files discovered by the BBC this June confirmed for the first time that Austin Tice was being held by the former Assad regime.

Tice, who rose to the rank of captain in the US Navy and served in Iraq and Afghanistan, traveled to Syria in 2012 to cover the war as a freelance journalist.