Where is Austin Tice?: The American journalist
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What new evidence do the secret Syrian intelligence files reveal about Austin Tice’s disappearance?
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Okay, is there a blanket in this room?
Are you cold?
It's December. So I've got, I think, so it's got Austin Tice written on the front of it in Arabic.
Yeah.
And then, dude, this is hundreds of pages.
I know, and it's going to take ages to go through them.
I'm lying on the floor staring at images on my laptop of Austin Tice's Syrian intelligence files. Sara and I have just found them. Austin has been missing since the summer of 2012 and these files might finally tell us where he is or what really happened to him. Nothing like this about Austin has ever been uncovered before. So this looks like a table of contents.
And if you look at this page, they're asking their different intelligence officers to gather information about Austin Tice. Like where he worked, where he came from, who his mother is. So
they're making a profile on him. The files are vast. A secret archive created by Syrian intelligence, made up of years of handwritten notes, formal reports, memos and coded messages. It's their investigation into Austin Tice.
Okay, so it says here that the American journalist Austin Tice went missing in Damascus.
There's nothing about him being taken, arrested, anything?
Not here.
Look at this on page 21. To date, his fate remains unknown. How is that possible? Do they not know where he is? That's how it reads. This surprises us, because we thought Austin was being held by Syrian intelligence.
It's almost like they're searching for Austin. And at the same time, they're also tracking what other people are doing to try and find him. There's a report here that says we received information from our sources on the ground in Lebanon that Deborah Tice has arrived and has met the U.S. ambassador.
So they're specifically gathering information on Austin's mother?
Yeah. And there's a discussion about getting her phone number and the location of where she's staying and even the names of the people she's meeting.
Okay, and there's more here, because on this page, there's a report summing up a meeting between the head of the CIA and a director of Lebanese security. And Syrian intelligence seemed to have details of what they discussed. I guess they spied on them. And their conversation is all about getting Austin back.
They've written a memo saying someone told the Americans they can get Austin's DNA to prove he's alive.
We spend days going through the files. Some pages worry me. One says Austin was liquidated. But then there are others that seem to indicate he may still be alive. It's a confusing picture. So we dive deeper, scanning for what matters most. Austin's location. Hold on, I've got an admission.
Wait, what?
There's another memo which mentions Austin being held with a paramilitary group called the National Defence Forces.
It's forces that were loyal to President Bashar al-Assad that was set up when the Syrian uprising started. But they were regular people.
They're part of the state, but they're outside the conventional state system.
How did Austin Tice’s early experiences with the Free Syrian Army shape his reporting style?
So they're outside the Syrian prison system. So if he's held there, maybe that's why we're not finding him.
It would also probably explain why Syrian intelligence are looking for him.
They're worried that they've lost him in their own system. And actually he's held with a paramilitary group.
I mean, yeah, this is crazy. I've actually never heard this explanation before.
Okay, we need to check this.
So there's
two or three white buildings that look like guard boxes. They're little mini bungalows. Some gunfire in the background. On the side of a mountain, just outside the center of Damascus, we go to the base of the militia that the files say was holding Austin. Inside a gated compound, we find a small prison.
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
What new evidence do the secret Syrian intelligence files reveal about Austin Tice’s disappearance?
0:00–4:15
2
How did Austin Tice’s early experiences with the Free Syrian Army shape his reporting style?
4:15–9:05
3
Why do the files suggest Austin might have been held by the National Defence Forces instead of official prisons?
9:05–13:04
4
What did the meeting with Dr. Hassan’s hospital uncover about regime pressure on journalists?
13:04–17:42
5
How did the alleged attempt to seize Austin’s laptop change the investigation’s direction?
17:42–21:51
6
What clues from Austin’s social‑media posts point to his movements toward Damascus?
21:51–25:54
7
Why does the possible burning of the Al‑Tal hospital matter for understanding his fate?
25:54–30:36
8
What unanswered questions remain about Austin Tice’s current whereabouts and how can listeners help?
30:36–35:02