Missing US journo’s family buoyed by Trump remarks
The family of missing US journalist Austin Tice expressed optimism Thursday after President Donald Trump said his administration was working with Syria to secure his release.
Mr Trump told reporters he did not know if Tice, missing in Syria since 2012, was still alive, but noted: “If he’s alive, we would like to get him back.”
He added: “We’re working very hard with Syria to get him out. We hope the Syrian government will do that.
He said his administration had written to Damascus recently about Tice.
“He’s been there for a very long time. He was captured long ago,” he said. “We’re doing the best we can.”
A Tice family spokesman said the president’s comments were cause for hope because it was the first sign of official efforts with the Damascus government and that there may be momentum building.
“We are tremendously grateful for the tireless work President Trump is doing to bring Austin safely home,” Marc and Debra Tice said in the statement. “His efforts for our son are unmatched and his support and commitment mean the world to us. The president has our deepest appreciation.”
Tice was a freelance photojournalist working for AFP, the Washington Post, CBS and other news organisations when he disappeared after being detained at a checkpoint near Damascus on Aug 14, 2012.
Thirty-one years old at the time he was captured, Tice appeared blindfolded in the custody of an unidentified group of armed men in a video a month later.
US authorities have offered a $1 million reward for information that leads to his recovery.