US Believes Journalist Austin Tice Is Alive After Disappearing in Syria in 2012, Biden Says

Marc Tice (L) and Debra Tice, the parents of Austin Tice, a journalist who was kidnapped in Syria, update the media about their son's condition as they continue to push for his release, during a news conference at the National Press Club in Washington on Dec. 6, 2024. Jacquelyn Martin/AP Photo

WASHINGTON—President Joe Biden said Sunday that the U.S. government believes missing American journalist Austin Tice, who disappeared 12 years ago near the Syrian capital, is alive and that Washington is committed to bringing him home after Bashar Assad’s ouster from power in Damascus.

“We think we can get him back,“ Biden told reporters at the White House, while acknowledging that “we have no direct evidence” of his status. ”Assad should be held accountable.”