A former senior Syrian security official, Bassam al-Hassan, has informed the FBI that journalist Austin Tice was killed in 2013 under orders from President Bashar al-Assad. This assertion, which remains uncorroborated by the U.S. government, is significant as it marks the first time a high-ranking official from Assad's regime has addressed Tice's disappearance. During interviews in Beirut, Hassan recounted attempts to dissuade Assad from the order to kill Tice, who had briefly escaped from his cell prior to his death. The claims are part of an ongoing investigative effort by U.S. intelligence agencies.
"The former Assad aide told the FBI in the presence of Lebanese officials that Assad ordered him to have Tice killed, and that he tried unsuccessfully to dissuade him."
"Hassan told the FBI that he had Tice killed by a subordinate, and that it occurred in 2013... The order came at some point after Tice briefly escaped from his prison cell."
Collection
[
|
...
]