Travis Timmerman, a U.S. citizen who had entered Syria and was detained seven months ago, speaks with reporters in Damascus on Dec. 12, after rebels toppled longtime president Bashar al-Assad.Photo by ABDULAZIZ KETAZ/AFP via Getty Images

American who says he crossed into Syria by foot is free after 7 months in detention

In a video that emerged Thursday, a group of men said the American captive was being treated well and would be safely returned home

· National Post

DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — An American who turned up in Syria on Thursday says he was detained after crossing into the country by foot on a Christian pilgrimage seven months ago.

Travis Timmerman appears to have been among thousands of people released from the country’s notorious prisons after rebels reached Damascus over the weekend, overthrowing President Bashar Assad and ending his family’s 54-year rule.

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