The Washington Post reported that Major General Bassam al-Hassan, an advisor to former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, admitted that Assad ordered the killing of American journalist Austin Tice after he attempted to escape from prison.
The newspaper reported that "Hassan told American investigators in Lebanon that Assad gave the order to execute Tice in 2013, noting that he tried to convince Assad to spare him to use him as a bargaining chip, but he insisted on killing him. He explained that the crime was carried out by one of Hassan's subordinates shortly after Tice's arrest."
She added that "Al-Hassan's testimony took place during secret interrogation sessions in the Lebanese capital, Beirut, in the presence of Lebanese officials and investigators from the FBI and the CIA over a period of days last April."
She noted that "the United States has not officially confirmed the story, but is investigating it and considers it the first admission by an official in the former Assad regime regarding Tice's fate."
Tice's father cast doubt on Hassan's account, describing him as a "mass murderer trying to clear his name," noting that "the family still hopes Austin is alive."
