Austin Tice escaped Syrian captivity in 2013 before being recaptured — sources

In the early days of 2013, an American man, dressed in ragged clothing, dodged between houses in the streets of Damascus’ upscale Mazzeh neighborhood looking for a civilian to take him to safety after more than five months of captivity in the concrete cells of a local prison.

The man, journalist Austin Tice, was taken captive during a reporting trip to Syria in August 2012. A former Marine, he had managed to slip out of his cell, one current and three former US officials and a person with knowledge of the event told Reuters. All were granted anonymity to speak freely about sensitive US intelligence.

Tice is now the focus of a massive manhunt following the ouster of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad this week after 13 years of civil war. Rebels, led by the militant group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, have since released thousands of people from prisons in Damascus where Assad held political opponents, ordinary civilians and foreigners.

The American has not yet been found. There are no credible hints of his whereabouts but also no clear evidence that he is dead, a US official said.

US officials say that Tice’s 2013 escape from prison, where he was believed to have been held by a pro-government militia, is the strongest evidence the US government has to suggest that forces loyal to Assad held Tice. This has over the years allowed American officials to pressure the Assad government directly about the matter.