US Citizen Found Near Damascus After Release from Syrian Detention

An American man, who had been held for months in a Syrian prison after entering the country on foot, recounted his release by individuals wielding hammers during the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad’s regime by rebels. This individual, later identified as Travis Timmerman to CBS, a US news partner of the BBC, was discovered by local residents close to the capital, Damascus. His discovery coincides with rebels’ stated intentions to shut down Assad’s notoriously severe prisons and to pursue those responsible for the torture or killing of detainees. Rebel leader Ahmed al-Sharaa, also known as Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, declared, “We will pursue them in Syria, and we ask countries to hand over those who fled so we can achieve justice.” Social media footage depicted Mr. Timmerman resting on a sofa while residents engaged with local reporters. He stated that his arrest occurred upon his entry into the country seven months prior. The American was reported missing in May, having last been observed in Budapest, the Hungarian capital, according to information from the Missouri State Highway Patrol and Hungarian authorities. On Monday, the day following the rebels’ capture of Damascus and Assad’s ousting, Mr. Timmerman described how two men, armed with a hammer, forced open his prison door. He recalled, “busted down, it woke me up”. He continued, “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.” The 30-year-old mentioned departing the prison with a substantial group of individuals and attempting to reach Jordan. He admitted to “a few moments of fear” upon leaving detention but added that his primary concern since then had been securing a place to sleep. Nevertheless, he informed reporters that local inhabitants had been responsive to his requests for food and aid. Mr. Timmerman noted, “They were coming to me, mostly.” Syria’s new interim government confirmed on Thursday, via a message on the Telegram messaging service, that it had “freed and secured” Mr. Timmerman. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated that Washington was “working to bring [Mr. Timmerman] home”. Speaking during a visit to Jordan, Blinken further mentioned that he could not provide specific details about “exactly what’s going to happen”. Thousands of prisoners have been released since Assad’s government fell over the weekend. Visuals have shown men, women, and in some instances, children emerging from crowded, windowless cells, often disoriented and unaware of external events. However, Mr. Timmerman’s treatment appears to have been relatively good, as he told CBS: “I’m feeling well. I’ve been fed and I’ve been watered, so I’m feeling well.” He also indicated that he had access to a mobile phone during his detention and had communicated with his family three weeks ago. In an interview with fellow US outlet NBC, Mr. Timmerman revealed he had traversed the mountains between Lebanon and Syria on a “pilgrimage” and had “been reading the scripture a lot”. He declined an offer to be connected with American officials. Richard Timmerman, identifying himself as the freed prisoner’s great-uncle, stated that his last contact with Travis was when he was working in Chicago. The New York Times quoted him saying, “The family had been looking for him, but no-one’s been able to find anything about him.” He further added, “He’s very responsible,” and “He’s not a criminal kind of person.” On Tuesday, State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller announced that the US had requested assistance from Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), Syria’s main rebel group, in locating and freeing US journalist Austin Tice. Mr. Tice, a freelance journalist, is believed to have been captured near Damascus on 14 August 2012 while covering the country’s civil war. He was last seen in a video, blindfolded and seemingly in distress, which was posted online weeks after his capture. The US holds the belief that he was detained by the Assad regime. President Joe Biden has affirmed that the US believes Mr. Tice is alive but that his exact location must be determined. Syria’s new leadership declared on Thursday that the search for Mr. Tice was “ongoing” and expressed readiness to “cooperate directly” with the US to find Americans who disappeared under the Assad regime. The now-collapsed regime was infamous for its exceptionally harsh prisons, where the UK-based monitoring group Syrian Observatory for Human Rights estimates nearly 60,000 individuals were subjected to torture and killed. Throughout Syria this week, families desperate to locate their loved ones have been flocking to these grim prison sites. The Syrian Civil Defence Organisation, known as the White Helmets, has been assisting in the search, including at the notorious Saydnaya prison complex, which human rights groups have labeled the “human slaughterhouse.” Raed Saleh, director of The White Helmets, informed the BBC, “We’re looking for secret prisons in several areas of Damascus.” He added, “We can’t say too much about this, but we’re looking.” The White Helmets, recognized for rescuing survivors from rubble during Syria’s devastating civil war, report having helped recover thousands of detainees from these prisons. However, many families continue their search without success. Saleh acknowledged, “What took place in Saydnaya is very painful for the families who were waiting for their loved ones.” He continued, “Our inability to reach anyone else in Saydnaya after the initial release of prisoners means that those people who were there are either dead or in another place.” He further stated, “We have at least two teams looking for prisoners.” “One team with police sniffer dogs is looking for survivors. Another team is specialised in lock breaking and entering cells.”