A joint investigation by the BBC and NPR has revealed that Bassam al-Hassan, who oversaw Syria's chemical weapons programme and served as a senior adviser to former President Bashar al-Assad, remains in Lebanon under an arrangement involving the FBI and other US and Lebanese authorities. The arrangement reportedly stems from his willingness to provide intelligence, including details about the 2012 abduction of American journalist Austin Tice.
Last month, the BBC reported that Tice's abduction was a planned operation, with Hassan in the chain of command. Now, officials from two branches of Syria's new government have told the BBC they want Hassan returned to face trial, but that US authorities want him kept in Lebanon, leaving Damascus with little recourse.
The BBC asked the FBI, the CIA, and Lebanon's General Directorate of General Security for comment. Only the FBI responded, declining to comment and directing the BBC to a past statement saying its focus remained on establishing facts around the Tice case and securing his return.
Phil Elwood, a spokesperson for the Tice family, told the BBC: "If what [the investigation has] found is accurate, it is a profound moral failure." The full quote was cut off in the report, but the statement underscores the family's concern.