A BBC News investigation revealed that a former Syrian general wanted on charges of crimes against humanity is receiving funding and protection from the US and Lebanese authorities.
Bassam al-Hassan - who supervised the Syrian chemical weapons program and served as a high-level advisor to former President Bashar al-Assad - resides in Lebanon following the collapse of the regime in 2024.
A joint investigation between the BBC and the US National Public Radio (NPR) concluded that Al-Hassan was allowed to remain on Lebanese soil under an arrangement involving the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and other American and Lebanese authorities.
According to the information we obtained, this arrangement came as a result of his willingness to provide information about the kidnapping of American journalist Austin Tice in Syria in 2012, in addition to other intelligence information.
A BBC investigation published last month revealed that Tice's kidnapping was a planned operation, and that Al-Hassan was part of the chain of command for that operation.
Officials from two different sides in the new Syrian government told the BBC that they are demanding that Al-Hassan be returned for trial, but the American authorities insist that he remain in Lebanon, indicating that Damascus has no options to change this situation.
We asked the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), and the General Directorate of General Security in Lebanon to comment on our findings. Only the FBI responded, which declined to comment and instead referred us to an earlier statement emphasizing that its focus was on uncovering the facts regarding Tice's case and ensuring his return.
Commenting on what we revealed, Phil Elwood, a spokesman for the Tice family, said: “If the information you are providing is correct, the fact that taxpayers’ money was used to provide a comfortable life for someone linked to the use of chemical weapons against Syrian civilians - and who allegedly caused the execution of Austin Tice - is insulting.”
He added, "This is nothing less than aiding and abetting a wanted war criminal to evade justice. Syrians deserve justice, and this person must be brought back to appear before the court."
As part of a multi-year investigation highlighted by a new BBC podcast, “Where's Austin Tice?”, the BBC has seen a detailed record of a meeting held between Hassan and representatives of the FBI, CIA, and Lebanese security officials, where the Tice case was discussed.
During the meeting, Hassan was offered “accommodation,” “protection,” and assistance in meeting his “living needs” in exchange for providing information, primarily related to the Tice case.
Sources familiar with the arrangement confirmed the accuracy of the details, explaining how Hassan received money from the American authorities through an intermediary, which makes tracking that money difficult. Note that Hassan is subject to sanctions imposed by the US government.
However, people connected to the Tice investigation point out that there has been little evidence of tangible progress in the case since Hassan began providing information under the agreement. The agreement is believed to have been concluded in the spring of 2025.
Sources familiar with the investigation expressed their fears that Hassan’s arrangement with the American side would continue indefinitely, at great cost and without achieving significant gains.
Hassan is not the only Syrian regime official whose connection to the Tice case appears to have provided him with financial payments or assistance to live abroad.
A former member of the regime stated that he received money from the FBI on several occasions in exchange for his cooperation in the Tice case. He told the BBC that "it was not in his interest to reveal all the information at once", "so that he could prolong the period in which he would receive payments from them [the US authorities]".
Another former member of the Assad regime, linked to the Tice case, claimed that he lives in Lebanon under the “care” of the American authorities, indicating that this is the reason that prevented him from speaking with us about the Tice case.
The BBC spoke to a former high-ranking Lebanese intelligence official, who confirmed the existence of arrangements between Lebanese intelligence and the American side, and that such payments have been made - and are still being made - in cases where the tasks of the two agencies overlap, but he said that he is not aware of any payments related to the Tice case.
It is likely that after the fall of the Assad regime in early December 2024, Hassan initially fled to Iran.
A Syrian businessman with strong ties to both the former regime and the Lebanese authorities told the BBC that negotiations took place at the time, with the participation of the United States, Lebanon and Iran, to transfer Hassan to Lebanon.
The businessman, who requested to remain anonymous, explained that Hassan was extremely valuable not only because of what he was believed to know about Tice, but also due to his knowledge of the Syrian chemical weapons program and the military relationship between Syria and Iran, secrets that US intelligence was allegedly interested in obtaining.
Hassan told US investigators last year that Tice was executed on the orders of former President Assad, but people familiar with the investigation have questioned the details of his account. Hassan identified a possible location for Tice's remains, but searches at the site yielded nothing - according to multiple sources familiar with the excavation - raising doubts about the veracity of some of the information Hassan provided.
However, there are questions about the accuracy and breadth of the site's searches. Two sources who confirmed their close knowledge of the details of the operation told the BBC that the American authorities stopped the drilling work before the search was completed, perhaps due to security concerns.
