Syrian normal accused of atrocities paid and guarded by US and Lebanon, BBC finds

As a part of a years-long investigation featured within the new BBC podcast: Where is Austin Tice? Series 3 of I’m Not A Monster Presents, the BBC has reviewed an in depth document of a gathering between Hassan, FBI and CIA representatives, and Lebanese safety officers, the place Tice’s case is mentioned.

In it, Hassan is obtainable “residency”, “safety” and assist securing his “dwelling wants” in return for data, primarily about Tice.

Sources with data of the association confirmed this was the case, and described to us how Hassan receives cash from the US authorities via an middleman, making it tougher to hint. Hassan is sanctioned by the US authorities.

Yet folks linked to the Tice investigation say they’ve seen little proof it has considerably superior since Hassan started offering data as a part of this settlement. The deal is believed to have been struck within the spring of 2025.

Sources with data of the investigation have expressed issues that Hassan’s association with the US might proceed indefinitely, at important expense however with little achieve.

Hassan shouldn’t be the one Syrian regime official whose connection to the Tice case has seemingly afforded him monetary funds or help for dwelling overseas.

One former regime member mentioned he had obtained cash from the FBI a number of instances in alternate for his co-operation on Tice’s case. It was “not in his curiosity to share all the data all of sudden,” he advised the BBC, “so as to have the ability to drag out how lengthy he can proceed to obtain funds from them [the US authorities]”.

Another former regime member linked to the Tice case claimed he was dwelling in Lebanon underneath the “patronage” of the US authorities, citing this as the explanation he couldn’t converse to us about Tice.

The BBC spoke to a former senior Lebanese intelligence official who confirmed that Lebanese intelligence does have preparations with the Americans, and that most of these funds have and do happen when each companies have overlap in circumstances, however mentioned he had no data of funds involving the Tice case.