British journalist Keir Simmons hastily leaves Q&A conference with Putin

British journalist Keir Simmons, who works for US-based company NBC, hastily left the auditorium where Russian President Vladimir Putin was holding his Q&A conference with citizens and journalists.

Journalist Pavel Zarubin published a video of Simmons leaving the auditorium with a backpack in his hand in a hurry.

"Apparently, the American journalist is unwilling to answer questions from his colleagues after the event," Zarubin captioned the video.

Simmons returned an hour later. Reportedly, Keir Simmons left the room due to his live broadcast obligations. Zarubin later posted another video showing Simmons going back to his seat in the room.

During the conference Keir Simmons asked Putin a question about Syria. The NBC journalist also asked the Russian leader to find out from former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad about the fate of American journalist Austin Tice, who disappeared in Syria 12 years ago. Putin promised to ask Assad this question.

"I have not met with President Assad since his arrival in Moscow yet, but I plan to do so, I will definitely talk to him," Putin said.

On December 19, NBC said that Tice's mother sent Putin a letter in which she asked the Russian president to help her search for her son.

Details

Austin Bennett Tice (born August 11, 1981) is an American freelance journalist and a veteran U.S. Marine Corps officer who was kidnapped while reporting in Syria on August 13, 2012. Tice was working as a freelance journalist for McClatchy, The Washington Post, CBS and other media when he was abducted from Darayya, Syria. There was no immediate contact from Tice or his captors, but in September 2012 a 47-second video of Tice blindfolded and bound was released. In October 2012, a US spokesperson said it was believed, based on the limited information it had, that Tice was in the custody of the Syrian government. No government or group in Syria had said it was holding Tice by early 2020.