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Family Of Austin Tice, Journalist Missing In Syria, Makes Emotional Plea

Family Of Missing Journalist Makes Emotional Plea
In this image taken from undated video posted to YouTube, American freelance journalist Austin Tice, who had been reporting for American news organizations in Syria until his disappearance in August 2012, prays in Arabic and English while blindfolded in the presence of gunmen. The Associated Press could not independently confirm the origin or the content of the clip, but the Tice family released a statement to several media outlets confirming it was their son in the video. Although the video footage shows a group of captors dressed and behaving like Islamic extremists, the clip lacks the customary form of jihadist videos. Previous reports have indicated that Tice is in Syrian government custody. (AP Photo)
In this image taken from undated video posted to YouTube, American freelance journalist Austin Tice, who had been reporting for American news organizations in Syria until his disappearance in August 2012, prays in Arabic and English while blindfolded in the presence of gunmen. The Associated Press could not independently confirm the origin or the content of the clip, but the Tice family released a statement to several media outlets confirming it was their son in the video. Although the video footage shows a group of captors dressed and behaving like Islamic extremists, the clip lacks the customary form of jihadist videos. Previous reports have indicated that Tice is in Syrian government custody. (AP Photo)

The family of Austin Tice, a journalist believed to be captured in Syria, has made an emotional plea for his release.

Tice, a freelance journalist for The Washington Post and McClatchy newspapers and a Georgetown law student, went missing in Syria in August. He appeared in footage that recently emerged, which showed him blindfolded by his captors.

His family reacted in a statement to Russia Today's Arabic service, saying, “Knowing Austin is alive is comforting to our family, although it is difficult to see him in the circumstances recently depicted."

The New York Daily News reported that the news channel is funded by the Russian government, which has sided with Syrian president Bashir al-Assad.

Tice's family offered a "prayer" to the people of Syria, and asked that the Syrian government aid his safe return. “Understanding the many current demands on its resources, we nonetheless ask the Syrian government to determine Austin’s whereabouts, establish that he is well, and do all in its power to expedite his return to us,” his family said.

(h/t NY Daily News)

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