The top US hostage envoy Roger Carstens is currently in Beirut as part of the intensive efforts to locate freelance journalist Austin Tice, according to State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller. The Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs' visit to the Lebanese capital comes as US officials have ramped up their search for the detained journalist in the wake of the Assad government's collapse.
During a briefing, Miller urged anyone with information about Tice's whereabouts to contact the FBI immediately, mentioning that there is a reward for credible information. Recent reports indicate that US officials have been in contact with Syrian opposition forces in an attempt to gather more details about Tice's situation. Tice was detained at a checkpoint in Damascus back in August 2012, but the Syrian government under Bashar al-Assad has not publicly acknowledged his detention.
