Cape Talk, Friday night

So what did you think? It's interesting, isn't it? Because when we asked if Austin was alive, he didn't claim to not have that knowledge. Yeah, he didn't say, I don't know anything or I don't know anything about this. So the man who oversaw Austin's detention isn't in hiding. He's a free man living in Lebanon. We want to understand how that's possible.

So we start speaking to people. Some of them are at risk so I can't identify them. First, officials in two parts of Syria's new government tell us that they want Bassam returned to stand trial, but they say the Americans want him kept in Lebanon, and there's little they can do about that. Then, people with knowledge of Bassam's situation tell us he's receiving money from the Americans through an intermediary.

And then we see something Sarah and I never expected. A source shows us a detailed record of a meeting involving Bassam, the FBI, CIA and Lebanese security. It shows he's been offered residency and protection. This is a deeply uncomfortable reality because Bassam isn't just the man who oversaw Austin's detention. He managed the chemical weapons program for a regime

That use them against civilians. He's under US sanctions and wanted for crimes against humanity. Yet he isn't facing trial. He's living in Lebanon with the help of Lebanese and American authorities. Bassam may be out of reach, but what he knows about Austin might not be. We have one more lead.