After the stunning fall of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, the siblings of kidnapped journalist Austin Tice say they have increased hope that their brother is alive in Syria. Tice was captured in Syria more than 12 years ago.
"The latest information that we have is that Austin is alive. He is in Syria," Jacob Tice told NPR during an interview with All Things Considered Tuesday.
Abigail Edaburn, Tice's sister, said she wants Tice to see his nieces and nephews, some of who were born while he was in captivity.
"These past few days have been incredibly intense and it does feel so different than how it's felt in the past. It feels like anything is possible," she said.
U.S. officials said early this week that they are working with sources on the ground to get information about Tice since Assad's departure, according to national security adviser Jake Sullivan, who spoke to Good Morning America on Monday.
"This is a top priority for us: to find Austin Tice, to locate the prison where he may be held, get him out, get him home safely to his family," Sullivan said.
This follows comments made by President Biden on Sunday after Syrian rebels' swift takeover of the country.
"We are mindful that there are Americans in Syria," Biden said.
"We remain committed to return him to his family," the president said, referring to Tice. In response to shouted questions from reporters, Biden added: "We think we can get him out."
Tice was captured in Syria in the summer of 2012 while reporting on the conflict there. His parents have led a yearslong fight to free their son and have been in close contact with the White House under Presidents Barack Obama, Donald Trump and Biden, as well as other government officials, regarding Tice's case.
Tice's parents, Debra and Marc Tice, said in a statement Monday that they remain positive he can return home.
"We are watching the events unfold in Syria and seeing families reunited with their loved ones after years of separation. We know this is possible for our family, too. Austin Tice is alive, in Syria, and it's time for him to come home," the statement released by the Press Freedom Center at the National Press Club said. "We are eagerly anticipating seeing Austin walk free and we are asking anyone who can do so to please assist Austin so he can safely return home to our family."
Who is Austin Tice?
Originally from Houston, Tice, now 43, is a veteran captain of the U.S. Marine Corps and a Georgetown University graduate.
He decided to travel to Syria in May 2012 and spend the summer before his final year at Georgetown Law School working as a freelance journalist covering Syria's civil war for The Washington Post, McClatchy and other news outlets, according to a website created by his family.
He previously won several awards for his reporting work, including the 2012 George Polk Award for War Reporting.
Jacob Tice described his older brother as always having been "able to forge relationships in every context in which he's operated. I know that he is compelling as a man. He is so friendly and outgoing. And I can only imagine that that has served him well over these 12 years."
What are the circumstances of his disappearance?
In August 2012, Tice traveled just south of Damascus, the Syrian capital, to report one of his final pieces. The Tice family says on its website that he planned to leave for Lebanon on Aug. 14. But shortly after leaving the Damascus suburb of Darayya, he was detained at a checkpoint.
Tice was last seen by the world in a video released a few weeks after he was detained.
In the 46-second video posted on YouTube, the journalist wears torn clothing and a blindfold and is being led by masked men with guns. The video at the time suggested that Islamic extremists had seized Tice, then 31.
Since the video's release, the U.S. government has said that Tice is being held by the Syrian government. No one has publicly claimed responsibility for his capture or for the video. The Tice family says it has never received information or requests about what is needed to secure his release.
Why are officials optimistic about his return, now?
The Syrian government under now-former President Bashar al-Assad has never acknowledged having Tice in custody.
But the U.S. government and the Tice family have repeatedly said there is evidence that Tice is alive and imprisoned by the Assad regime.
Now that Assad has fled Syria and the rebel group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham is in control, there is hope that the country's new leadership might help locate and return Tice home.
We're just hoping that what happens next is what we've been wanting for the past 12 years. But it does feel like a very unique opportunity," Abigail Edaburn told NPR.
The FBI issued a statement Monday renewing its call for information about Tice's location, noting it is still offering a reward of up to $1 million for information leading to Tice's safe return.
Jacob Tice said the entire family is grateful for the effort behind finding his brother.
"We are just a family wanting our brother to come home. So we are extremely grateful for all of the effort that seems to be being put into the search for Austin right now," Jacob Tice said. "And we are so hopeful that those efforts will bear fruit and that Austin will come home soon."
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