2025-07-26
49 分钟The Economist. Today on the Weekend Intelligence,
it's the final episode of our three-part series, The Hunt for Austin Tice.
If you haven't listened to the first two episodes,
go for a long walk and give yourself an audio treat.
Episode one went out on July 12th and episode two on July 19th.
For months,
my colleague Gareth Brown has been investigating the disappearance of an American journalist in Syria in 2012.
It's a case that's haunted Syria's dealings with the West.
When the regime of President Bashar al-Assad fell in December of last year, Gareth started his hunt.
Last week,
we found out what the Americans knew about Austin's whereabouts and their efforts to get him back.
And we went deeper into Syria's murky former security state.
with its internal fighting and fealty to Assad,
trying to explain just how an American could get lost within it.
In today's episode, things get a whole lot grubbier.
Gareth goes inside Syria, something the Americans have been unable to do.
He speaks to a former intelligence officer who interrogated Austin,
a shady businessman with links deep inside the regime,
and a dodgy cosmetic surgeon in Damascus, all to find out who held Austin and what happened next.
I'll hand over to Gareth.