Missouri man emerges from Syrian prison, says he was on a Christian journey
An amazing tale of survival has emerged from the chaos of the fall of Syria’s Assad regime this week. Travis Pete Timmerman, a 29-year-old native of Urbana, Missouri, was found wandering near Damascus following his release from prison where he had been held captive with thousands of political prisoners.
“My door was busted down, it woke me up,” Timmerman told CBS News, describing the moment two men armed with AK-47s broke into his cell with a hammer. “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 Missouri man, who had been missing since June 2024, revealed he had entered Syria for Christian “spiritual purposes” after spending a month in neighboring Lebanon. His religious pilgrimage turned into a seven-month detention after he entered the country without authorization. Despite being one of the few Americans to leave a Syrian prison alive, Timmerman told news outlets his ordeal “wasn’t too bad.”
“I was never beaten,” he explained to CBS News’ Elizabeth Palmer. “The only really bad part was that I couldn’t go to the bathroom when I wanted to. I was only let out three times a day to go to the bathroom.”
READ: Israeli leader says end of Assad regime a “historic day”
His release came amid an unprecedented opening of Syria’s prison system, where tens of thousands had disappeared during the Assad family’s brutal 54-year reign. The regime’s network included more than 100 detention facilities, with many prisoners now emerging as rebel forces secure the capital.
Surprisingly, Timmerman maintained contact with his family during his detention. “I’d spoken with my family three weeks ago, through a phone that I had while in prison. I was allowed to use it,” he told CBS News. Since his release, he has been focused on survival: “I still haven’t really processed that I’m free. I’ve been more worried about finding a place to sleep each night since then.”
A U.S. official has confirmed to CBS News that the government is aware of Timmerman’s situation and is seeking to provide support, though details remain private. The American’s emergence comes as thousands of families continue searching prison facilities for missing relatives, while former detainees share accounts of their captivity.
–Metro Voice and news agencies
