An American who was freed by rebels in Syria after spending seven months in prison has told The Independent he is on his way to Jordan – but that he plans to return to Damascus.
Travis Timmerman, thought to be from Missouri, was found on Thursday in a town outside the Syrian capital after footage appeared on social media showing him sleeping in a private home.
Mr Timmerman had been reported as missing in May, having last been seen in the Hungarian capital, Budapest. Mr Timmerman said he had snuck from Lebanon into Syria and he was arrested and held in the Far Falastin prison, operated by Syrian intelligence. He was then freed alongside thousands of others on Monday after rebels toppled the Assad regime.
Speaking to The Independent about what is next for him, Mr Timmerman, who looked pale and frail, but seemed positive, said: “I’m very good - I am on my way to Jordan right now - and I intend to come back to Damascus.”
He described the moment he was freed as an “exciting scene”, adding that “there were a lot of AK47s going off and a lot going on”.
“Basically, we left the prison, then we wandered around Damascus looking for a place to stay that night,” he said. “And the first night I stayed in Bab Touma and in an abandoned apartment.
“That’s what I’ve been doing since I got out. It’s just trying to find places to sleep.”
Mr Timmerman said he was on a “religious pilgrimage” to Damascus. “I heard the word of God”.
For many Syrians, there time in jail was marked by harsh conditions and, sometimes, torture, Mr Timmerman said that he did not suffer such a fate himself, but he could hear fellow prisoners being tortured.
His family had not gone public about Mr Timmerman’s disappearance, though friends had posted about him on Facebook earlier this year.
Antony Blinken, the US secretary of state, said officials were now working to bring Mr Timmerman home.
“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,” Mr Blinken told reporters in Aqaba on Thursday.
After the video of Mr Timmerman appeared on social media, it was speculated that the American was, in fact, journalist Austin Tice, who has been missing since disappearing in August 2012. Mr Tice, however, remains missing.
