Following the recent overthrow of the Syrian regime and the liberation of prisoners, social media users and media outlets circulated claims and footage alleging that Austin Tice had been found and freed. However, reliable media outlets debunked the claim. On the other hand, the U.S. hostage Travis Timmerman was released.
Austin Tice Went Missing in Syria in 2012
Austin Tice, a freelance journalist and Marine Corps veteran, was reportedly captured near Damascus on August 14, 2012, while covering the Syrian civil war.
A video posted online weeks after his capture showed Austin Tice blindfolded and visibly distressed.
In August 2022, Syria refuted U.S. President Joe Biden's claim that it detained U.S. journalist Austin Tice or any other Americans.
The Syrian Foreign Ministry said in a statement that Damascus “denies it had kidnapped or is holding any American citizen on its territories.”
Twelve years after Austin Tice's abduction, his story recirculated online as opposition factions topple the Bashar al-Assad regime and free prisoners from its notorious prisons.
His family confirmed they have been in contact with a “significant source” who assured them he is alive and well.
“Austin Tice is alive, Austin Tice is treated well, and there is no doubt about that,” said Tice's mother, Debra.
Was Austin Tice Found in Syria After the Regime Collapse?
Days after opposition factions overthrew the Syrian regime, social media platforms buzzed with recent photos and videos purporting to show American journalist Austin Tice alive in Syria, 12 years after his abduction.
Media outlets amplified the claims, sharing footage depicting Tice safe in local residents' homes.
Reports also suggested that a Syrian villager found Tice naked and barefoot, wandering in a mountainous area near Damascus.
Misbar’s investigative team found the photos and videos going viral alleging to show Austin Tice free to be misleading.
Reliable media outlets report that opposition forces recently liberated U.S. hostage Travis Timmerman from Assad regime prisons.
According to the Associated Press, Timmerman, who was found in Syria on Thursday, stated that authorities had detained him seven months earlier after he entered the country on foot during a Christian pilgrimage.
Moreover, Al Arabiya media outlet uploaded a video of the prisoner asking him about whether he was U.S. hostage Austin Tice. The prisoner denied being Tice and said he did not know about Tice's case.
When asked by an Al Arabiya journalist if he heard sounds of torture while in prison, the prisoner confirmed hearing young men screaming from torture daily.
Even after comparing photos of Austin Tice and the recently discovered U.S. prisoner Travis Timmerman, it is clear that they are different individuals.
The Associated Press reported that a Missouri State Highway Patrol bulletin this year identified the U.S. prisoner found as Pete Travis Timmerman, 29, who went missing in Hungary in early June.
In late August, Hungarian police issued a missing persons alert and stated that they last saw Timmerman at a church in Budapest.
U.S. officials said they are working to verify Timmerman’s identity and provide necessary assistance. Secretary of State Antony Blinken told reporters the White House is “working to bring him home, to bring him out of Syria.”
Joe Biden: U.S. Will Try to Bring Tice Home
President Joe Biden vowed to bring home Austin Tice, one of the longest-held American hostages.
Biden reaffirmed the U.S. belief that Austin Tice is alive but stressed the need to determine his exact location in Syria.
“We are mindful that there are Americans in Syria,” Biden said on Sunday at the White House, including those who reside there, as well as Austin Tice, who was taken captive more than 12 years ago.
The president added, “We believe he's alive. We think we can get him back, but we have no direct evidence of that yet.”
In addition, the FBI reiterated that a $1 million reward remains available for information leading to Tice's “safe location, recovery, and return.”
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