Austin Tice: Assad regime planned US journalist's kidnap for weeks, BBC finds - BBC News                            (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cv0lrxw6ygl2o)  (https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cv0lrxw6ygl2o)  (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cv0lrxw6ygl2o)  (https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cv0lrxw6ygl2o)  (../../../static.files.bbci.co.uk/core/website/assets/static/icons/touch/news/touch-icon-36.413a37b227.png)  (../../../static.files.bbci.co.uk/core/website/assets/static/icons/touch/news/touch-icon-48.010dc96bcf.png)  (../../../static.files.bbci.co.uk/core/website/assets/static/icons/touch/news/touch-icon-57.1fcd0dc805.png)  (../../../static.files.bbci.co.uk/core/website/assets/static/icons/touch/news/touch-icon-60.52f68a148f.png)  (../../../static.files.bbci.co.uk/core/website/assets/static/icons/touch/news/touch-icon-72.f155fdb25f.png)  (../../../static.files.bbci.co.uk/core/website/assets/static/icons/touch/news/touch-icon-76.cb5ee392d4.png)  (../../../static.files.bbci.co.uk/core/website/assets/static/icons/touch/news/touch-icon-96.35ee2d1e20.png)  (../../../static.files.bbci.co.uk/core/website/assets/static/icons/touch/news/touch-icon-114.7ccdf53cba.png)  (../../../static.files.bbci.co.uk/core/website/assets/static/icons/touch/news/touch-icon-120.73e20442a9.png)  (../../../static.files.bbci.co.uk/core/website/assets/static/icons/touch/news/touch-icon-128.060d346f09.png)  (../../../static.files.bbci.co.uk/core/website/assets/static/icons/touch/news/touch-icon-144.e08bc23631.png)  (../../../static.files.bbci.co.uk/core/website/assets/static/icons/touch/news/touch-icon-152.4de1981be0.png)  (../../../static.files.bbci.co.uk/core/website/assets/static/icons/touch/news/touch-icon-180.1a18cb7b72.png)  (../../../static.files.bbci.co.uk/core/website/assets/static/icons/touch/news/touch-icon-192.3ac042fa43.png)  (../../../static.files.bbci.co.uk/core/website/assets/static/icons/touch/news/touch-icon-384.728e3a03d3.png)  (../../../static.files.bbci.co.uk/core/website/assets/static/icons/touch/news/touch-icon-512.685da29e9e.png)  (../../../static.files.bbci.co.uk/core/website/assets/static/icons/favicon/news/favicon-16.8a240ceacc.png)  (../../../static.files.bbci.co.uk/core/website/assets/static/icons/favicon/news/favicon-32.5cf4e6db02.png)  (../../../static.files.bbci.co.uk/core/manifest.11b0cb15658c4719a2c19e25644577223adaa7b2.json)   (https://www.bbc.com)   BBC Homepage    (cv0lrxw6ygl2o@at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss.html#main-heading) Skip to content  (https://www.bbc.co.uk/accessibility/) Accessibility Help          (https://account.bbc.com/account?lang=en-GB&ptrt=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.bbc.co.uk%2Fnews%2Farticles%2Fcv0lrxw6ygl2o)    Your account       (https://www.bbc.com) Home  (https://www.bbc.com/news) News  (https://www.bbc.com/sport) Sport  (https://www.bbc.com/future/earth) Earth  (https://www.bbc.com/reel) Reel  (https://www.bbc.com/worklife) Worklife  (https://www.bbc.com/travel) Travel  (https://www.bbc.com/culture) Culture  (https://www.bbc.com/future) Future  (https://www.bbc.com/culture/music) Music  (https://www.bbc.co.uk/schedules/p00fzl9m) TV  (https://www.bbc.com/weather) Weather  (https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds) Sounds   (cv0lrxw6ygl2o@at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss.html#global-navigation-more-menu)    More menu     (cv0lrxw6ygl2o@at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss.html#global-navigation-more-menu)   More menu    (https://www.bbc.com/search?d=NEWS_GNL)    Search BBC      (https://www.bbc.com) Home  (https://www.bbc.com/news) News  (https://www.bbc.com/sport) Sport  (https://www.bbc.com/future/earth) Earth  (https://www.bbc.com/reel) Reel  (https://www.bbc.com/worklife) Worklife  (https://www.bbc.com/travel) Travel  (https://www.bbc.com/culture) Culture  (https://www.bbc.com/future) Future  (https://www.bbc.com/culture/music) Music  (https://www.bbc.co.uk/schedules/p00fzl9m) TV  (https://www.bbc.com/weather) Weather  (https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds) Sounds   (cv0lrxw6ygl2o@at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss.html#more-menu-button)   Close menu          (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news)   BBC News      (cv0lrxw6ygl2o@at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss.html#product-navigation-menu)    Menu  (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news) Home   (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/topics/cmj34zmwm1zt) Climate   (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world) World   (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world/us_and_canada) US & Canada   (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk) UK   (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business) Business   (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology) Tech   (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science_and_environment) Science   (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment_and_arts) Entertainment & Arts   (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health) Health     (cv0lrxw6ygl2o@at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss.html#product-navigation-more-menu)    More     (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/in_pictures) In Pictures   (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/bbcverify) BBC Verify   (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/newsbeat) Newsbeat         (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world) World   (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world/africa) Africa   (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world/asia) Asia   (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world/australia) Australia   (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world/europe) Europe   (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world/latin_america) Latin America   (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world/middle_east) Middle East           Assad regime planned US journalist's kidnap for weeks, BBC finds      (File image of Tice in front of a rural background. He has mid-length brown hair and a short brown beard and is wearing a khaki green polo shirt.)    Image source,  Fort Worth Star-Telegram/Tribune News Service via Getty Images  Image caption,  Austin Tice filed high-profile news reports during the Syrian civil war        By Josh Baker  and Sara Obeidat     Published 8 hours ago           US journalist Austin Tice, who disappeared in Syria in 2012, was kidnapped in a calculated operation which was more than a month in the planning, the BBC can reveal.   A member of the group which detained Tice has also claimed the abduction was sanctioned by Syria's leader at the time, President Bashar al-Assad. Tice was seen getting into a car with a driver he knew and trusted. For years, many assumed they had stumbled upon a government checkpoint, and that the abduction of the journalist had been opportunistic.  But we have uncovered evidence that, in fact, his disappearance was anything but chance. In a new BBC podcast: (https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/brand/m0031689) Where is Austin Tice? Series 3 of I'm Not A Monster Presents , we reveal the findings of a years-long investigation into what happened to Tice, who had been reporting on Syria's civil war at the time.  His case has been followed closely by international media and cited by successive US presidents.     Where is Austin Tice?  Josh Baker enters a dangerous world of fear, greed and betrayal as he uncovers what happened in one of the biggest missing-person cases of our time - the abduction of Austin Tice.  (https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/brand/m0031689)       Listen on Sounds      Georgetown University law student Tice, who had served as a US Marines captain, was last seen in a video - blindfolded and in apparent distress - posted more than a month after his capture. As the regime fell 12 years later, tens of thousands of people emerged from the administration's prisons. Tice was not one of them.  We obtained co-ordinates from an intelligence source for multiple locations US authorities suspected he could have been held at, and searched for him for more than a month, but found no sign of him. A former Syrian commander has said (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cvg72g960pxo) Tice was executed . Others have questioned this account and no remains have been found. But in the aftermath of the regime's collapse, we did uncover secret Syrian intelligence files on Tice - hundreds of pages of internal records providing (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cvg72g960pxo) the first definitive proof that it was the regime that had held the journalist. Two crucial questions remained unanswered, however: how exactly had Tice been taken in the first place? And, who was responsible for his abduction? We have spoken to a number of men from the regime involved in Tice's detention, and have reviewed recordings of discussions about it. One man we spoke to, Abu Ali, is a former member of the National Defence Forces (NDF), a militia which was fiercely loyal to Assad. He says the abduction operation began when Tice's driver - who multiple sources say had been passing the regime information for some time - told a senior NDF member that Tice was moving through rebel-held areas, reporting on the opposition. Tice had pushed into areas most journalists deemed too dangerous and was writing front-page stories for the Washington Post. The Assad regime was cracking down on anyone highlighting its human rights abuses. We have been told the NDF member Tice's driver spoke to was Sakr Rustom - not just any NDF militia contact, but nephew of Bassam al-Hassan, one of Assad's most trusted security figures and head of the NDF. The information on Tice was passed up to Hassan, Abu Ali says, who is then said to have telephoned Assad. "Bring him to us," Assad replied, claims Abu Ali. Abu Ali says he was subsequently called into Hassan's office and told the president had approved the operation. But Tice was not taken immediately. The driver, Abu Ali says, suggested that he and the NDF continue watching him, to uncover more about what he was doing. "He trusts me," Abu Ali recalls the driver saying. Some time later, the driver reported back that Tice's actions seemed suspicious, Abu Ali says.  Tice, as a trained marine, would sometimes share his military experience with rebel fighters - according to several people we spoke to - and would correct fighters on how they used their weapons. To the men watching him, that behaviour made Tice look less like a journalist and more like someone from the CIA. The BBC has found no evidence to suggest this was the case, and a former senior US official responsible for part of Tice's case has denied he was an intelligence officer. In the days before Tice vanished, the driver made one particularly brazen move while Tice was interviewing rebel fighters. He secretly took the American's backpack, containing his MacBook, a satellite transmitter and other personal items, for regime operatives to look through, multiple sources say. On 11 August 2012, Tice celebrated his 31st birthday at a rebel safehouse on the western edge of Damascus, a few miles from Assad's presidential palace. There was a swimming pool, Free Syrian Army fighters, Taylor Swift music and whiskey, Tice revealed in what would become his final tweet. "Hands down, best birthday ever," he wrote.      (Debra Tice has grey wavy hair, brown eyes and wears glasses - pictured here at the National Press Club in Washington, DC)    Image source,  AFP  Image caption,  Tice's mother Debra has pressed successive US presidents to continue looking for her son       Then came the time for Tice to leave Syria. He had told various people he was planning to take time out in Lebanon. But he was not heading to safety. He was heading to a state facility where Hassan had an office, in an area called Tahouneh on the outskirts of Damascus, according to several sources. Abu Ali was waiting there for Tice. Abu Ali says Tice's driver told him that when he drew up to the gates, he pulled out a gun. Tice laughed at first, Ali recalls the driver saying, apparently believing the man he trusted was joking. But the driver told Tice he was serious, Abu Ali says, and the journalist realised what was happening.  According to Ali, Tice pulled out his chequebook and pleaded with the driver to name his price, rather than go through with the kidnap. NDF militia members then grabbed Tice, covering his eyes, Abu Ali says.  Another NDF member told us he would never forget Tice's expression as he realised he had been betrayed. Abu Ali says Hassan immediately called President Assad to tell him they had the American. For years, the identity of Tice's driver has remained a mystery. The BBC spoke to more than 20 people to discover who he was, with the trail eventually leading to the city of Homs, and the family of a man called Hamid Abu Obeid. They confirmed he was the man who had driven Tice away, an account also supported by multiple NDF members. But by the time we identified him, Abu Obeid had disappeared.  His family say they do not know where he is, and fear for his safety. They say they were not aware of Hamid's involvement in Tice's case, and learned about it from him afterwards. But they did give a motive for his betrayal of Tice. The Abu Obeid family, Palestinian refugees from Gaza, live in poverty. Under Syrian law they are not entitled to Syrian citizenship and live under significant restrictions.  According to Hamid's brother, he had been promised a passport, Syrian citizenship, a house, and a weapon, in return for delivering Tice - life-changing rewards. But after the abduction, the family says all he got was a pistol. Then, after Assad's regime fell, Abu Obeid's wife says her husband was called by a man who knew about his involvement in Tice's case and was threatening to tell the US embassy, hoping it might help him secure asylum.  Abu Obeid urged him not to. He then took some money, told his wife he was going shopping, and she says she has not seen him since. She does not know if he is in hiding, or if he has been detained or killed. Not long after he disappeared, she says masked men - some dressed in military clothes - visited and took a number of Abu Obeid's possessions, including his laptop and other devices. The wishes of Abu Obeid's wife now chillingly mirror those of Tice's mother and family. On opposite sides of a disappearance that began more than a decade ago, both families are searching for the same thing: a loved one who vanished, and an answer to where he went.     Related topics  (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/topics/cx1m7zg0w5zt) Syria  (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/topics/cx1m7zg01xyt) United States  (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/topics/cg41ylwvggnt) Syrian civil war  (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/topics/cg41ylwvwzet) Bashar al-Assad           (vertical video collection) The video playlist   Watch our pick of standout clips from across the BBC      Previous     Next         1:13 Why caffeine makes some people buzz. 00:01:13, play video Why caffeine makes some people buzz    (A man holding a cup of coffee - his torso and lower half of his face are out of focus, showing him wearing a grey hooded top and jacket, with his hand in the foreground holding the coffee)           0:21 Snapchat 'willing to implement' time limits for teens, boss tells BBC. 00:00:21, play video Snapchat 'willing to implement' time limits for teens, boss tells BBC    (Yellow and wile Snapchat logo on phone screen. With a computer keyboard behind the phone.)           0:42 Is damage to US bases being hidden from the American public? 00:00:42, play video Is damage to US bases being hidden from the American public?    (The aftermath of an explosion on a three storey building.)           0:49 'Awkward' networking can get you a job. 00:00:49, play video 'Awkward' networking can get you a job    (A woman stands in the street, wearing a sleeveless leopard-print top, speaking into a microphone.)           1:23 Singapore auctions luxury goods from £2bn money laundering case. 00:01:23, play video Singapore auctions luxury goods from £2bn money laundering case    (A woman with long brown hair wearing a zebra print top talks to the camera)           0:32 Will the UK see a 'weather whiplash' this Autumn? 00:00:32, play video Will the UK see a 'weather whiplash' this Autumn?    (A row of crops in a field, under a blue sky with approaching dark clouds.)           1:10 'Searing' palace response to Earl Spencer's Diana book claims. 00:01:10, play video 'Searing' palace response to Earl Spencer's Diana book claims    (A close-up of Earl Spencer in a blue shirt and black jacket.)           0:43 After school snack – Cinnamon swirl banana bread bars. 00:00:43, play video After school snack – Cinnamon swirl banana bread bars    (Two hands a hold a portion of a cinnamon swirl banana bread bar, over a baking tray of the finished bars.)           1:14 Police confirm body of child found in search for Noah Woods. 00:01:14, play video Police confirm body of child found in search for Noah Woods    (Police officer in uniform holding tablet and speaking)           1:21 Is the increase in the state pension fair? 00:01:21, play video Is the increase in the state pension fair?    (A woman with short hair wearing a brown jacket and a black and white scarf sits on a train platform with a cup of coffee)           0:48 Burnham and Carney bond over undefeated Everton. 00:00:48, play video Burnham and Carney bond over undefeated Everton    (Prime Minister Andy Burnham and Prime Minister of Canada Mark Carney attend the Everton v Wolverhampton Wanderers match)           0:38 Are we getting teasers for the GTA VI soundtrack? 00:00:38, play video Are we getting teasers for the GTA VI soundtrack?    (Computer-generated image of a woman wearing sunglasses with her arms crossed on the edge of a pool.)           1:19 Image of Trump kissing aide is fake. 00:01:19, play video Image of Trump kissing aide is fake    (A screenshot, labelled AI-generated, of Trump kissing his aide on a golf course.)           0:32 NBC presenters confirm live on air that their helicopter crashed in LA. 00:00:32, play video NBC presenters confirm live on air that their helicopter crashed in LA    (Two news presenters, a man wearing a blue blazer (left) and a woman wearing a pink blazer (right) sat at a desk looking into the camera.)           1:13 Should you care about oil and gas getting more expensive? 00:01:13, play video Should you care about oil and gas getting more expensive?    (An employee inspects pipes containing crude and refined oil.)           1:15 'I owe £70k repayments on £42k student loan' 00:01:15, play video 'I owe £70k repayments on £42k student loan'    (A woman with long blonde hair wearing a black jumper looks at the camera)           1:05 Is the US really running out of munitions? 00:01:05, play video Is the US really running out of munitions?    (A US Patriot air defence system. A large green camouflaged vehicle.)           1:24 What's driving UK 'shoplifting crisis'? 00:01:24, play video What's driving UK 'shoplifting crisis'?    (Shop customer with their face blurred putting a large chocolate bar under her jacket inside a shop)           1:20 The reason Donald Trump refusing to regulate AI. 00:01:20, play video The reason Donald Trump refusing to regulate AI    (Donald Trump stood in front of a podium with a microphone.)           1:02 'I feel guilty taking a sick day off work' 00:01:02, play video 'I feel guilty taking a sick day off work'    (A young woman with red hair speaking into a microphone)               Top stories (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c65ymj7njvl7o) King Charles warns of 'existential danger' of AI falling into wrong hands     Published 37 minutes ago            (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/cm17jx8en40lt)     Live.    William and Catherine visit Bute and King opens AI summit as row erupts over Diana book     6784 viewing 6.8k viewing             (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cmkg71ygwny7o) Father's tribute to 'sweetest little boy' Noah     Published 42 minutes ago                More to explore (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/videos/c6wyz8qg0g58o)    'I can get more time': Breast cancer patient finds out she can get life extending drug. Video 'I can get more time': Breast cancer patient finds out she can get life extending drug           (Kate Wills takes a selfie on a beach at sunset)         (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cm790rxl8wvpo) Boy abducted by mum has renewed 'sense of purpose'      (Alex Batty has short brown hair and is wearing glasses, and an orange high vis jacket.)         (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ck4gl6v10029o) Mum's Facebook kidney plea prompts 'mind-blowing' gift from total stranger      (Gary is bald and wears a burgundy and white checked shirt and sit nexts to Karen who has her hair in a ponytail is wearing a camel coloured jumper.)         (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/videos/cmew984dq92lo)    Watch: Hundreds of seized luxury goods up for auction in Singapore after $2.2bn money laundering case. Video Watch: Hundreds of seized luxury goods up for auction in Singapore after $2.2bn money laundering case           (Composite image, on the left is BBC presenter Vandhna Bhan wearing a zebra print top, on the right is a  Louis Vuitton Kusama yellow pumpkin bag)         (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c9vgyd02mdvno) I sent 200 LinkedIn messages and got a job: How to nail networking      (Taylor smiles while looking at the camera standing outside in an urban environment with buildings and trees in the background.)         (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cq8je1n70xwo) 'My rent was higher than my student loan' - the booming cost of private halls      (Lara wearing glasses and a light-coloured zip-up fleece standing outdoors beneath leafy trees, with stone terraced buildings and parked cars visible in the background.)         (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c4gkd4zw564o) Why caffeine makes some people buzz - and others barely notice      (A portrait shot of Emily staring at the camera. She is wearing dark glasses and a black jacket, and has light brown hair. She us holding a cup of coffee in front of her.)         (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c65y5xv3j90vo) Boy, 13, is new voice of Thomas the Tank Engine      (A boy wearing headphones is stood in a recording studio and holding a Thomas the Tank Engine toy on his flat palm.)         (https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsletters/zxh6cxs) Tech Decoded newsletter: Follow the world’s top tech stories and trends      (Tech Decoded logo)             Elsewhere on the BBC (https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m00303gv?at_mid=Yx8giOpeie&at_campaign=Colin_from_Accounts_S3&at_medium=display_ad&at_campaign_type=owned&at_nation=NET&at_audience_id=SS&at_product=iplayer&at_brand=p0f255x9&at_ptr_name=bbc&at_ptr_type=media&at_format=image&at_objective=consumption&at_link_title=Colin_from_Accounts_S3&at_bbc_team=BBC) The warm-hearted Aussie rom-com audiences are loving        (Colin from Accounts)        (https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/w3ct9bcc?at_mid=4e96ZyBas0&at_campaign=Good_Bad_Billionaire_Lord_Sugar&at_medium=display_ad&at_campaign_type=owned&at_nation=NET&at_audience_id=SS&at_product=sounds&at_brand=p0g7xj36&at_ptr_name=bbc&at_ptr_type=media&at_format=image&at_objective=consumption&at_link_title=Good_Bad_Billionaire_Lord_Sugar&at_bbc_team=BBC) Lord Sugar: From car aerials to a business empire        (Good Bad Billionaire: Lord Sugar)        (https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m00303hs?at_mid=DaZa5S7gna&at_campaign=Hey_Beautiful_Anatomy_of_a_Romance_Scam&at_medium=display_ad&at_campaign_type=owned&at_nation=NET&at_audience_id=SS&at_product=iplayer&at_brand=m00303hq&at_ptr_name=bbc&at_ptr_type=media&at_format=image&at_objective=consumption&at_link_title=Hey_Beautiful_Anatomy_of_a_Romance_Scam&at_bbc_team=BBC) Victims unite to hunt down a conman who stole their hearts and money        (Hey Beautiful: Anatomy of the Romance Scam)        (https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m0030v8b?at_mid=WcwzEeGqVW&at_campaign=Tracks_of_My_Years_Chaka_Khan&at_medium=display_ad&at_campaign_type=owned&at_nation=NET&at_audience_id=SS&at_product=sounds&at_brand=m0001ylx&at_ptr_name=bbc&at_ptr_type=media&at_format=image&at_objective=consumption&at_bbc_team=BBC&at_creation=Tracks_of_My_Years_Chaka_Khan) Radio 2 in the Park headliner Chaka Khan shares her favourite tracks        (Tracks of My Years: Chaka Khan)            Most read 1 (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cmkg71ygwny7o) Father's tribute to 'sweetest little boy' Noah       2 (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ckg59nq6y990o) Family says dead man was not 'Putney pusher'        3 (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cmp3073x6464o) Stadium owner Robert Kraft says Ed Sheeran asked him to donate $2m in aid after Macklemore backlash       4 (https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/olympics/articles/cqvgy1m9z4k8o) River home to 500 crocodiles chosen as Olympic rowing venue       5 (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cmdx0jzzpd89o) Balaclava boys on electric bikes: How to tackle the problem?       6 (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cmvgyp871j03o) Palace in war of words with Earl Spencer over claims in Diana book       7 (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cmpq0wj5g899o) OpenAI reveals six more safety issues and unveils plan to disclose incidents       8 (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c65ymj7njvl7o) King Charles warns of 'existential danger' of AI falling into wrong hands       9 (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cqlym1n9kpyvo) Barclays staff push back at plans to reduce work-from-home days       10 (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cm93v1573vqro) Body found in search for missing Noah Woods, 3               BBC News Services  (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/10628994)    On your mobile  (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/help-50068132)    On smart speakers  (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/10628323)    Get news alerts  (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/20039682)    Contact BBC News     (https://www.bbc.com) Home  (https://www.bbc.com/news) News  (https://www.bbc.com/sport) Sport  (https://www.bbc.com/future/earth) Earth  (https://www.bbc.com/reel) Reel  (https://www.bbc.com/worklife) Worklife  (https://www.bbc.com/travel) Travel  (https://www.bbc.com/culture) Culture  (https://www.bbc.com/future) Future  (https://www.bbc.com/culture/music) Music  (https://www.bbc.co.uk/schedules/p00fzl9m) TV  (https://www.bbc.com/weather) Weather  (https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds) Sounds   (https://www.bbc.co.uk/usingthebbc/terms) Terms of Use  (https://www.bbc.co.uk/aboutthebbc) About the BBC  (https://www.bbc.com/usingthebbc/privacy) Privacy Policy  (https://www.bbc.com/usingthebbc/cookies) Cookies  (https://www.bbc.co.uk/accessibility) Accessibility Help  (https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/guidance) Parental Guidance  (https://www.bbc.co.uk/contact) Contact the BBC  (https://www.bbc.co.uk/careers) Careers  (https://www.bbc.co.uk/bbcnewsletter) BBC emails for you  (https://www.bbc.com/advertisingcontact/) Advertise with us    Copyright © 2026 BBC. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. (https://www.bbc.co.uk/editorialguidelines/guidance/links-and-feeds) Read about our approach to external linking.         ()