Travis Timmerman: US pilgrim found barefoot in Syria after 7 months in Sednaya prison
A missing American pilgrim was found wandering barefoot in Syria yesterday after being released from the notorious Sednaya prison.
Travis Timmerman, 29, from Missouri, was jailed seven months ago when he was caught crossing the Syrian border from Lebanon.
Yesterday, the bewildered traveller said he had been on a religious pilgrimage to Damascus after hearing “the word of God” – and did not know that Syria’s tyrant leader Bashar al-Assad had been overthrown.
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By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.“I’m a Christian and my lord took me to Damascus,” he said.
“I entered the Syrian border illegally. I crossed a mountain from Lebanon and was living in that mountain for three days and three nights without food or water.”
He said he was spotted by a border guard and locked up in a cell separated from other inmates. Talking about his time inside, he said: “It was OK, I was fed and watered. The one difficulty 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. Other than that, I was not beaten and the guards treated me decently.
“My imprisonment was actually good for me. It was a time of solace and meditation. I’m stronger for it.”
Mr Timmerman’s family reported him missing in May. His last known location was Budapest, Hungary.
He was released from the prison, known for torturing and executing prisoners and dubbed the “human slaughterhouse”, by rebels who overthrew Assad at the weekend.
With no idea the dictator was gone, Mr Timmerman tried to leave Syria secretly and was walking with his head down, sleeping in abandoned houses, until he was spotted in an orchard just south of Damascus yesterday morning.
His mother Stacey Collins Gardiner from Urbana, Missouri, said his return is a “Christmas miracle” adding: “At first, I was hoping it was him, but we didn’t know if it was a scam or what. And then my daughter saw him on the news.
“I was so happy, I cried too – happy tears. I will hug him. And then I probably won’t let him go.
“I’ll say, ‘Well, thank God you’re still alive’. And I’m so happy. Our prayers came true.”
Syria’s new interim government has promised to institute “the rule of law”.
Spokesman Obaida Arnaout said: “A judicial and human rights committee will be established to examine the constitution and then introduce amendments.”
Meanwhile, Israel has carried out more than 480 ground and air attacks designed to stop Assad’s chemical weapons and long-range missiles being used by extremists.
