An American man, who was detained for months in a Syrian prison after entering the country on foot, was found wandering the road near Damascus, following the overthrow of Bahsar al-Assad.
The man – who has identified himself as Travis Timmerman, was found by residents near the capital Damascus and said he was freed by hammer-wielding men as rebels overthrew the Assad regime.
Timmerman, who was reported missing in May, said he had been arrested upon entering the country seven months ago.
He said on Monday, two men armed with a hammer broke open his prison door and he left prison with a large group of people, attempting to make his way to Jordan.
Timmerman said he had crossed the mountains between Lebanon and Syria on a “pilgrimage” and had “been reading the scripture a lot”, adding that he had had the use of a mobile phone during his detention and had spoken to his family three weeks ago.
He declined the opportunity to be put in touch with American officials.
Thousands of prisoners have been released since the fall of Assad over the weekend
