Blinken says US working to bring Travis Timmerman home from Syria
The United States has announced efforts to bring an American citizen home from Syria, after he was recently discovered in the country.
During a press briefing in Jordan, where he was attending meetings regarding the political transition in Syria, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken confirmed this effort. He stated, “In terms of an 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 to bring him home, to bring him out of Syria and to bring him home.”
Media reports have identified the individual as Travis Timmerman, who hails from Missouri. His discovery occurred just days after rebel groups successfully ousted long-time President Bashar al-Assad, which has led many Syrians to flock to the notorious prisons where the Assad regime is estimated to have detained tens of thousands of individuals.
According to CBS News, Timmerman was among those who were freed earlier this week. After his reported release, the 29-year-old spoke with Saudi state media, confirming his identity. When asked where he had been, Timmerman revealed, “I was in prison in Damascus for the last seven months.” He elaborated that he had been held in solitary confinement and expressed his relief upon being freed early Monday morning when rebels broke down his prison door with a hammer.
Officials could not independently verify his account or the specifics surrounding his detention. White House spokesperson John Kirby stated during a recent briefing that the U.S. had no prior indication that Timmerman was in Syria.
In an interview with CBS, Timmerman mentioned that he had entered Syria without permission seven months ago for what he described as Christian “spiritual purposes.” Don Kelderhouse, the pastor of Timmerman’s church in Missouri, revealed that the congregation was aware of his plans to travel internationally but had lost contact with him earlier this year.
Kelderhouse noted, “We knew that he was interested in writing and that that was part of his motivation for going was traveling in Europe some, and writing and sharing his faith with others. But we did not think at the time he’d be gone very long. And then, of course, in May, we stopped hearing from him. So, of course, that caused a lot of scared people around here about what was going on the last seven, eight months.”
In addition to the pastor’s comments, Timmerman’s relieved parents shared their joy after receiving the news of his release. Richard, his father, expressed his excitement stating, “I was looking at videos and thought, ‘yes, it’s him.’ So excited.” His mother, Stacey, echoed the family’s enthusiasm, adding, “His brothers and his sister are excited, too.” Richard further remarked, “It’s like the best Christmas present ever.”
