American Man Missing for Seven Months Found Alive in Syria After Rebel-Led Prison Break
An American man from Urbana, Missouri, Travis Pete Timmerman, was found in a Damascus suburb on Thursday after a seven-month imprisonment that began when he entered Syria earlier this year on a “pilgrimage.”
Local residents of al-Thiyabiyah, a Damascus suburb, found Timmerman wandering barefoot in the early hours of Thursday morning. Photos and videos circulated on social media showed Timmerman lying under a blanket on a mattress, surrounded by locals who said he was being cared for.
In interviews with media outlets, including NBC News and CBS News, Timmerman recounted his experience, stating that he had been imprisoned in isolation for months. He claimed he was treated adequately during his captivity, noting, “I was never beaten. I always had food and water; the only difficulty was not being able to go to the bathroom regularly.”
His release occurred when opposition forces broke into his cell earlier in the week after Bashar al-Assad’s regime collapsed.
The journey that led Timmerman to Syria began in March, when he embarked on his first trip abroad. His family believed he was traveling to Eastern Europe, specifically Prague and Budapest, to pursue writing and deepen his understanding of Christianity.
Timmerman’s mother, Stacey Collins Gardiner, said her son regularly called home during the early part of his travels. However, contact ceased in late May after he informed her that he would be without internet access.
Missouri law enforcement and Hungarian authorities had been searching for Timmerman for months, issuing missing persons reports that listed him as last seen at a church in Budapest on May 28.
Timmerman’s family described his discovery as a “Christmas miracle” after enduring months of uncertainty. “I had happy tears,” his mother told NPR. “It was a relief to find out he was still alive because he’s my baby.” His pastor, Don Kelderhouse, said his survival was part of God’s plan.
Timmerman’s sudden reappearance initially sparked confusion with missing journalist Austin Tice, but U.S. officials confirmed he was not Tice.
