Debra Tice, the mother of missing U.S. journalist Austin Tice, appealed to Russian President Vladimir Putin for assistance in finding her son who disappeared in Syria a decade ago. She cited Putin's close ties with the Syrian government as a potential asset in the search.
The mother of U.S. journalist Austin Tice sent Russian President Vladimir Putin a letter late Wednesday asking for his help in finding her son, who went missing in Syria a dozen years ago. 'The current situation in Syria compels us to ask for your help in finding Austin and safely reuniting our family,' Debra Tice wrote. 'You have profound connections with the Syria n government, which can be a great benefit for our unrelenting efforts to find our Austin and reunite our family.
' 'In this holiday season of peace and goodwill, we respectfully request your assistance in finding Austin and safely reuniting him with our family,' she wrote. For more on this story watch 'NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt' tonight at 6:30 p.m. ET/5:30 p.m. CT. NBC News obtained a copy of the letter just hours after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu assured Debra Tice that Israel would not conduct airstrikes near a secret prison outside Damascus where she believed her son may have been held. Putin is a longtime patron of Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad, who was ousted earlier this month and fled the country to Russia. He and his late father ruled with an iron fist for half-a-century. Assad's sudden downfall raised the Tice family's hopes that the missing journalist might be in Mt. Qasioun prison, which is under a military museum and has a hidden tunnel that has not been fully explored. But Debra Tice said she's ready to reunite with her son wherever he may be. 'We would, of course, be willing to travel to Moscow or any place on earth to put our arms around our precious Austin and bring him safely home,' she wrote. In an interview with NBC News, Debra Tice said she had no misgivings about asking Putin for help. “Of course I am reaching out to powerful people, so they can help us,' she said. 'Russia has had a port there in Latakia forever, so I do think they have the ability to know what’s going on on the ground. We are still trying to find out where he i
Austin Tice Syria Missing Journalist Vladimir Putin Debra Tice
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