Austin Tice’s mom hopes American found in Syria is ‘rehearsal’ for son’s return

Surrounded by her children and their families, Debra Tice, mother of Austin Tice, speaks during a news conference in Washington DC, on 6 December. Photograph: Jacquelyn Martin/AP

The mother of the journalist Austin Tice – who was detained in Syria in 2012 – told NBC’s Meet the Press on Sunday that seeing another missing American, Travis Timmerman, found in Damascus recently felt “almost like having a rehearsal … of what it’s going to really feel like when it is Austin walking free”.

Initial reports on Wednesday speculated that the American found might be Austin Tice – but Debra Tice said she knew immediately it wasn’t her son.