Former Syrian official claims Assad gave order to kill Austin Tice in 2013

A former senior Syrian security official has told the FBI that American freelance journalist Austin Tice was killed in 2013 on the orders of President Bashar al-Assad, an account that has not been corroborated by the United States but marks the first time a senior official in the Assad regime has spoken to U.S. officials about Tice’s fate.

The U.S. government is investigating the claims made by Bassam al-Hassan, a member of Assad’s inner circle and his adviser for strategic affairs, according to U.S. officials and other people familiar with the matter, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the matter’s sensitivity.

Hassan was interviewed in Beirut by the FBI and the CIA over several days in April.