Georgetown University instrumentality pupil Tice, who had served arsenic a US Marines captain, was past seen successful a video - blindfolded and successful evident distress - posted much than a period aft his capture.
As the authorities fell 12 years later, tens of thousands of radical emerged from the administration's prisons. Tice was not 1 of them.
We obtained co-ordinates from an quality root for aggregate locations US authorities suspected helium could person been held at, and searched for him for much than a month, but recovered nary motion of him.
A erstwhile Syrian commandant has said Tice was executed. Others person questioned this relationship and nary remains person been found.
But successful the aftermath of the regime's collapse, we did uncover concealed Syrian quality files connected Tice - hundreds of pages of interior records providing the archetypal definitive proof that it was the authorities that had held the journalist.
Two important questions remained unanswered, however: however precisely had Tice been taken successful the archetypal place? And, who was liable for his abduction?
We person spoken to a fig of men from the authorities progressive successful Tice's detention, and person reviewed recordings of discussions astir it. One antheral we spoke to, Abu Ali, is simply a erstwhile subordinate of the National Defence Forces (NDF), a militia which was fiercely loyal to Assad.
He says the abduction cognition began erstwhile Tice's operator - who aggregate sources accidental had been passing the authorities accusation for immoderate clip - told a elder NDF subordinate that Tice was moving done rebel-held areas, reporting connected the opposition.
Tice had pushed into areas astir journalists deemed excessively unsafe and was penning front-page stories for the Washington Post. The Assad authorities was cracking down connected anyone highlighting its quality rights abuses.
We person been told the NDF subordinate Tice's operator spoke to was Sakr Rustom - not conscionable immoderate NDF militia contact, but nephew of Bassam al-Hassan, 1 of Assad's astir trusted information figures and caput of the NDF.
The accusation connected Tice was passed up to Hassan, Abu Ali says, who is past said to person telephoned Assad.
"Bring him to us," Assad replied, claims Abu Ali.
Abu Ali says helium was subsequently called into Hassan's bureau and told the president had approved the operation.
But Tice was not taken immediately. The driver, Abu Ali says, suggested that helium and the NDF proceed watching him, to uncover much astir what helium was doing.
"He trusts me," Abu Ali recalls the operator saying.
Some clip later, the operator reported backmost that Tice's actions seemed suspicious, Abu Ali says.
Tice, arsenic a trained marine, would sometimes stock his subject acquisition with rebel fighters - according to respective radical we spoke to - and would close fighters connected however they utilized their weapons.
To the men watching him, that behaviour made Tice look little similar a writer and much similar idiosyncratic from the CIA. The BBC has recovered nary grounds to suggest this was the case, and a erstwhile elder US authoritative liable for portion of Tice's lawsuit has denied helium was an quality officer.
In the days earlier Tice vanished, the operator made 1 peculiarly brazen determination portion Tice was interviewing rebel fighters. He secretly took the American's backpack, containing his MacBook, a outer transmitter and different idiosyncratic items, for authorities operatives to look through, aggregate sources say.
On 11 August 2012, Tice celebrated his 31st day astatine a rebel safehouse connected the occidental borderline of Damascus, a fewer miles from Assad's statesmanlike palace. There was a swimming pool, Free Syrian Army fighters, Taylor Swift euphony and whiskey, Tice revealed successful what would go his last tweet.
"Hands down, champion day ever," helium wrote.
English (US)·