- The American journalist was kidnapped in Syria in 2012 while covering the uprising in Damascus against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
ON BOARD AIR FORCE ONE: US President Donald Trump said on Friday that American journalist Austin Tice, captured in Syria more than 12 years ago, had not been seen for years.
Trump was asked whether he mentioned Tice during a meeting with new Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa during a visit to Saudi Arabia on Wednesday.
“I always talk about Austin Tice. Now, you know Austin Tice has been missing for many, many years,” Trump responded. “He's got a great mother who's just working hard to find her boy. So I understand that, but Austin has been missing for many, many years.”
Tice, a former U.S. Marine and freelance journalist, was 31 when he was kidnapped in August 2012 while reporting in Damascus on the uprising against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, who was ousted by Syrian rebels who captured the capital Damascus in December. Syria denied holding him.
U.S. officials pushed for Tice's release after the government fell. Former President Joe Biden said at the time he believed Tice was alive.
