American journalist Austin Tice’s family members are pleading for his release from Syria after US officials confirmed they believe he is still alive more than 12 years after his detainment.
The freelance reporter and Marine veteran vanished in 2012 while covering the anti-Assad uprising in Damascus at the beginning of the Syrian civil war.
Rebels have freed thousands of prisoners from Syria’s jails after they finally overthrew the Assad regime this week — and White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said the US has made it a top priority to locate the journalist and bring him home.
“We’re hoping that this is going to be the moment [of freedom] for Austin as well,” Tice’s brother, Simon, told Fox News on Tuesday.
Tice’s sister, Megan, said the family had already planned earlier this summer to get together in Washington DC to lobby lawmakers and other officials to make a greater effort to find their long-lost brother.
They were all together when they learned there’s a real chance he may still be alive.
“The fact that we are all gathered together for the first time since Austin was taken and having this historic moment happen at a time we’re all together is truly unbelievable,” Megan said.
No one in the family has seen or heard from Tice since 2012.
“Basically all that we’ve had is information we’ve had in our collaboration with the United States government,” Simon said.
President Biden has also shown optimism, saying the government believes Tice is still alive.
“We think we can get him back, but we have no direct evidence to that yet. And Assad should be held accountable … We have to identify where he is,” the president told reporters.
Syria has never confessed to holding Tice, but the fall of the al-Assad regime to Islamist rebels who are freeing prisoners has given both the US government and Tice’s family renewed hope.
“We are very encouraged to hear them saying Austin’s name in the news, loudly and clearly, we’ve been asking for that for a long time,” Megan said.
“They are starting to help really put the word out there … to amplify our voices and Austin’s cause to bring him home to our family,” she added.
Austin’s two other siblings, Jonathan and Naomi, also appeared on CBS News to raise awareness about their brother.
“We really truly believe that in chaos there is opportunity,” Jonathan said.
“This is the moment to reach out to any and all organizations and individuals to see what they can do to us bring him home.”
Naomi noted that the process has been “frustrating” due to “all the uncertainty” around the situation and the limited information they’ve been provided.
She asked Biden and President-elect Donald Trump to utilize “the tools available to them to bring Austin home.”
Jonathan said the family has people on the ground in Syria handing out information to the Syrian people about the situation.
“We are eagerly anticipating seeing Austin walk free,” the captive’s parents, Debra and Marc Tice, told The Post in a statement.
