Travis Timmerman, the missing American who was found imprisoned in Syria, was evacuated to Jordan by the US military after months in Bashar al-Assad’s notorious prisons, officials and his family said.
Timmerman, 29, who was jailed for more than half a year in the government prison after traveling to Syria “for spiritual purposes” was flown out of the country via a US military chopper, defense officials and his family told NBC News.
Travis Pete Timmerman, a US citizen who went missing in Syria, speaks to the press after being found following the fall of the Assad regime in Damascus, Syria, on Dec. 12, 2024. Anadolu via Getty Images“Pete Timmerman AKA Travis is safe and sound and back in American hands,” Mouaz Moustafa, director of the the Washington, DC-based Syrian Emergency Task Force, posted to X, along with photos of the handoff.
“Thank you to the amazing team at [the Syrian Emergency Task Force] for making this happen!”
The Missouri man was freed by rebel fighters armed with AK-47s on Monday as Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad’s regime fell. The self-described religious “pilgrim” was detained seven months ago when he crossed the border from Lebanon without permission after spending months traveling through Eastern Europe.
He was found Thursday by journalists walking barefoot in the town of Dhiyabia outside the capital as he headed toward Jordan.
Timmerman said he had gone to Syria “for spiritual purposes.” Anadolu via Getty ImagesVideo of Timmerman posted Thursday by Turkish news agency Anadolu had initially sparked speculation that he could be American journalist Austin Tice, who vanished in 2012 while covering the anti-Assad uprising in Damascus at the beginning of the Syrian civil war.
His family said they watched the footage on television and were relieved when they learned he was alive after losing contact with him in May.
“Feels pretty great! Praise the Lord!” Timmerman’s sister, Pixie Rogers, told NBC News.
Timmerman said he was detained upon entering Syria without permission seven months ago after spending a month in neighboring Lebanon. Anadolu via Getty Images“I would like for him to know that my whole family and I love him so much and that we are happy to know that we are going to see him soon.”
Earlier this year, authorities in Missouri and Budapest, Hungary, put out missing persons reports for a man named Pete Timmerman, whom Hungarian authorities identified as “Travis” Pete Timmerman.
An alert from the Missouri State Highway Patrol said Timmerman vanished in Budapest on May 28, with local authorities confirming he was last seen at a church and had “left for an unknown location,” NBC reported.
The Missouri State Highway Patrol said in a public awareness bulletin that Timmerman had gone missing from Budapest, Hungary, on May 28. Hungarian PoliceTimmerman’s family was aware that he was traveling overseas, noting that he checked in every few weeks until all communication ceased.
His mother, Stacey Collins Gardiner, said she was heartbroken for months, but is now thrilled to see her son again.“I had happy tears. It was a relief to find out he was still alive because he’s my baby” she told KSHB. “It’s just wonderful to find out he’s OK. I’m hoping he’s still OK. I was waiting for this for a long time, and it is a relief.”
