Arnaot said Syria's interim government had tried to find Tice to reunite him with his family, but has so far had no luck locating the journalist, now 43.
"We tried as much as possible to find information about Austin and return him to his mother, but we have not reached any result," he said.
Instead, the State Department said Tice was believed to be in the custody of the Syrian government — a charge vehemently denied by the regime of ousted President Bashar al-Assad.
With Assad overthrown by rebel forces, Tice's family has expressed renewed hope that they'll be reunited with their son.
Syria’s new rebel coalition is led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, or HTS, a group that emerged from an Al Qaeda affiliate.
Persons:
Bashar al, Assad, Austin Tice, Obaida, Arnaot, Tice, they'll, Lester Holt, Marc Tice, Assad's, “ We’re, ” Debra Tice, Joe Biden, Jen Daskal, Biden, Daskal, Hayat Tahrir, Abu Mohammad al, Jolani, Al Qaeda, Assad’s, ” Richard Engel, Gabe Joselow, Chantal Da Silva
Organizations:
NBC News, Austin, State Department, NBC, Atlantic Council, Al
Locations:
DAMASCUS, Syria, Houston, Austin, Washington, Al Qaeda, Iraq, Damascus, London