Austin Tice’s mother hopeful new US, Syria administrations will help find him | U.S. & World [Video]

By Jana Choukeir

DUBAI (Reuters) – The mother of American journalist Austin Tice said on Monday she was hopeful that the new administrations in the U.S. and Syria would help her find her missing son, who was taken captive during a reporting trip near Damascus about 12 years ago.

“Today, January 20, President (Donald) Trump will be sworn into office and I have great hope that his administration will work to bring Austin home,” Debra Tice told a press conference in Damascus organized by the NGO Hostage Aid Worldwide.

She also said she was encouraged because officials in the new U.S. government had already reached out to her about her missing son.

Tice has criticised outgoing U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration, saying they did not negotiate hard enough for her son’s release, even in recent months.

Tice, who worked as a freelance reporter for the Washington Post and other publications, was one of …