American citizen Travis Timmerman has been released in Syria after being detained for seven months while on a pilgrimage to deepen his Christian faith.
A native of Missouri, Timmerman had been missing since June before reappearing in Damascus. He was held in the Sednaya prison, where the Syrian regime of President Bashar al-Assad has arbitrarily detained tens of thousands of individuals. His release occurred at the same time as the recent ousting of the Assad regime by rebel forces.
Timmerman told reporters he crossed Syria from Lebanon, driven by his Bible study and a desire to deepen his Christian faith. But his entry into Syria on foot led to his arrest and subsequent imprisonment for several months.
A resident in Damascus, speaking to NPR’s Ruth Sherlock, recounted finding Timmerman walking barefoot in the street.
The Timmerman family expressed profound relief and joy at his release, Feels pretty great! Praise the Lord!” His mother, Stacey Collins Gardiner, described the situation as “a Christmas miracle.”
Don Kelderhouse, Timmerman’s pastor at Preston Bible Baptist Church, shared that Timmerman had been baptized over a year ago and was eager to share his faith in Christ. “It’s a miracle. … The fact that we think that he hasn’t been abused, that’s another miracle,” he told NBC News.
U.S. officials, remaining anonymous, reported that Timmerman had been transferred to Jordan following his release and was currently under the care of State Department officials. After his release, he was initially handed over to U.S. troops at Tanf garrison near the tri-border area of Syria, Iraq, and Jordan, before being flown out via U.S. military helicopter on December 13.
During his captivity, Timmerman remained isolated but was not mistreated; however, he could hear the sounds of other prisoners being tortured nearby.
Before his disappearance, Timmerman journeyed through Eastern Europe, exploring countries like the Czech Republic and Hungary.
