A US man, detained for months in a Syrian prison after entering the country, has finally become a free bird as rebels overthrew the regime of Bashar al-Assad.
On Thursday, a man identifying himself as Travis Timmerman was found in Syria following his release from imprisonment. In a conversation with CBS News, Timmerman explained his attempts to exit the country after his prison release. He disclosed that his detention occurred seven months prior when he entered Syria without authorisation after spending a month in Lebanon.
“My door was busted down, it woke me up,” Timmerman recounted of his Monday release by two armed men. “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 revealed his religious motivations for visiting Syria and described his imprisonment as relatively tolerable. He noted that whilst he avoided physical abuse, bathroom access was restricted to thrice daily.
Following his release, Timmerman departed with others and began walking, aiming towards Jordan. He acknowledged experiencing brief moments of anxiety upon leaving prison, though he hadn’t fully processed his freedom, focusing instead on securing nightly accommodation.
He expressed feeling comfortable seeking assistance from locals, who often approached him first. Timmerman mentioned previous communication with his family three weeks ago using a permitted mobile phone whilst in prison. “I’m feeling well. I’ve been fed and I’ve been watered, so I’m feeling well,” he stated.
Hungarian police records from August identified him as “Travis Pete Timmerman” in a missing person’s notice, last spotted at a local church. The Missouri State Highway Patrol’s bulletin listed him as Pete Timmerman, aged 29, last seen in Budapest, with final contact dated June 2, 2024.
US Planning to bring Timmerman back
US state secretary Antony Blinken said that they are working to bring home Timmerman found. He made this statement in Jordan, where he held meetings to discuss the political transition in Syria.
“In terms of (the) American citizen who was found just today, I can’t give you any details on exactly what’s going to happen, except to say that we’re working to bring him home, to bring him out of Syria,” Blinken told reporters in Aqaba.
“But for privacy reasons, I can’t share any more details about this,” Blinken added.
The US had no prior indication the man was in Syria, White House spokesperson John Kirby said in a briefing. “We are just getting word of this, and we’re trying to confirm his identity at this point, so the state department is working hard on that right now.”