Syria Denies Holding Missing U.S. Journalist Austin Tice, Slams Biden’s ‘Invalid Allegations’
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Syria’s foreign ministry on Wednesday denied an allegation made by President Biden that the Syrian government is holding a missing American journalist in captivity. Austin Tice was abducted in Syria 10 years ago during the nation’s bloody civil war, with Biden last week saying the intelligence community believes the veteran Marine Corps officer is alive and being held by the Syrian government. But the foreign ministry contradicted Biden’s claim in a statement, labeling it “invalid accusations against the Syrian government of kidnapping or arresting U.S. citizens, among them Austin Tice, a service member in the U.S. Army.” The statement added that Tice and others had entered Syria illegally. “Syria emphasizes that any official dialogue or communication with the U.S. government side will only be public and based on the rule of sovereignty and independence and unity of the Syrian Arab Republic’s land,” the statement continued.