Austin Tice ESCAPED from Syrian hellhole prison 11yrs ago & was snatched back by Assad’s henchmen, US officials reveal

Tice is now the focus of a massive manhunt following the ouster of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad this week after 13 years of bloody civil war.

He has not yet been found and there are no credible hints of his whereabouts.

There is also no clear evidence that he is dead.

US officials believe it is likely that Tice was taken after his escape by forces who answered directly to Assad.

But over the years, the Syrian government has consistently denied holding him, complicating efforts to secure his release.

The  maintains that Tice is being held by Syria, and continues to press for his return.

They suggest that his escape from prison, where he was believed to have been held by a pro-government militia, is the strongest evidence the American government has to suggest that forces loyal to Assad held Tice.

When Tice escaped, he was spotted by people living in the Mazzeh neighborhood, wandering the street.

He entered the house of a well-known Syrian family, the name of which is being withheld for security reasons, a person familiar with the escape said.

Tice, who worked as a freelance reporter for the Washington Post and McClatchy, was one of the first US journalists to make it into Syria after the outbreak of the civil war.