The Calculated Kidnapping of Austin Tice: A Symptom of Syria's Wartime Culture The disappearance of US journalist Austin Tice in 2012 is a stark reminder of the calculated brutality that characterized the Assad regime's response to dissenting voices.
A recent BBC investigation has revealed that the regime planned Tice's kidnapping for weeks, with President Bashar al Assad himself sanctioning the operation.
Sakr Rustom, nephew of Bassam al Hassan, one of Assad's most trusted security figures, was involved in the planning process.