An American citizen, who identified himself as the missing Missouri resident Travis Timmerman, was found in Syria on Thursday (December 12). The man said he had been imprisoned after crossing into the country on foot during a Christian pilgrimage seven months ago.
The 29-year-old appears to have been among thousands of people released from the country’s notorious prisons after rebels reached Damascus over the weekend, overthrowing President Bashar al-Assad and ending his family’s 54-year rule, the Associated Press reported.
Timmerman said two men armed with AK-47 rifles broke his prison door down Monday (December 9) with a hammer.
Image credits: Haber Lütfen
“I thought the guards were still there, so I thought the warfare could have been more active than it ended up being … Once we got out, there was no resistance, there was no real fighting.”
Timmerman was detained upon entering Syria without permission seven months ago after spending a month in neighboring Lebanon.
The newly freed American national said he had gone to Syria for Christian "spiritual purposes," and that his experience in prison "wasn't too bad."
Image credits: Haber Lütfen
Although he stated that he was treated well during detention, he could hear other young men being tortured.
“It was OK. I was fed. I was watered. The one difficulty was that I couldn’t go to the bathroom when I wanted to. I was only let out three times a day to go to the bathroom.
“I was not beaten and the guards treated me decently.”
Timmerman added that he'd spoken with his family three weeks ago, through a phone he had while in prison, and said he had been allowed to use it.
Timmerman, 29, had crossed into the country from Lebanon during a Christian pilgrimage
Image credits: Hungarian Police
Image credits: Haber Lütfen
The man had reportedly traveled to Europe before going missing. He was listed as "Travis Pete Timmerman" on a missing person's bulletin published by Hungarian police in August, which said he had last been seen at a church in the country, as per CBS News.
A missing person's bulletin published by the Missouri State Highway Patrol this year said that Timmerman had last been seen in the Hungarian capital of Budapest. The bulletin said the date of his last contact had been June 2, 2024.
Timmerman was freed after the collapse of President Bashar al-Assad's regime
Image credits: SaadAbedine
He said he "had a few moments of fear" when he left the detention center and it took some time for him to process that he was free.
"I still haven't really thought about that. I've been more worried about finding a place to sleep each night since then. So I've been working, really."
After being freed, he relied on the kindness of strangers, approaching them to ask for a place to sleep at night. "They were coming to me, mostly," he described.
He added: “I've been fed and I've been watered, so I'm feeling well.”
Image credits: Haber Lütfen
According to Missouri court records, Timmerman is from Urbana, Missouri, about 50 miles (80 kilometers) north of Springfield in the southwestern part of the state, AP reported.
In a video that emerged online on Thursday, the man could be seen lying on a mattress under a blanket in what appeared to be a private house.
A group of men in the video said that he was being treated well and would be safely returned home.
A US official told CBS News that the government was aware of the reports that an American had been found outside Damascus, Syria and that it was seeking to provide support.
"Bring him home," an American reader wrote
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