A man who identified himself as an American from Missouri, Travis Timmerman, was found in Syria on Thursday after being released from a prison earlier this week when former dictator Bashar al-Assad was forced from power by a shock offensive by the rebels.
Timmerman told CBS News senior foreign correspondent Elizabeth Palmer that he had tried to leave the country on his own after walking out of the prison where he had been held for more than six months. He said he was arrested seven months ago when he entered Syria without permission after spending a month in neighboring Lebanon.
Timmerman said two men armed with AK-47s broke down the door of his prison with a hammer on Monday.
“My door got kicked in, it woke me up,” Timmerman said. “I thought the guards were still there, so I thought the war could have been more active than it ended up being… Once we got outside, there was no resistance, there was no real fighting.”
An American man who identified himself as Missourian Travis Timmerman speaks with CBS News’ Elizabeth Palmer in Syria, December 12, 2024. / Credit: CBS News
Timmerman said he went to Syria “for spiritual purposes” and that his experience in prison “wasn’t that bad.”
“I was never beaten. The only really bad part was not being able to go to the toilet when I wanted to. I was only allowed to go to the toilet three times a day,” he said.
Timmerman said he left the prison with a large group and ran away. He said he was trying to go to Jordan.
He said he “had a few moments of fear” when he left prison, and that he hadn’t really processed the fact that he was free.
“I still haven’t really thought about that. Since then I’ve been more concerned about finding a place to sleep,” he told CBS News. So I really worked.”
Timmerman said he had not been afraid to approach people for help or a place to stay during his journey.
“They mainly came to me,” Timmerman said, adding that he spoke to his family three weeks ago on a phone he had while in jail. He said he could use it.
“I feel good. I got food and water, so I feel good,” Timmerman said.
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