DAMASCUS, Syria — A Missouri man found in Syria told NBC News on Thursday he spent months in a Syrian prison after after crossing into the country on a "pilgrimage" to Damascus.
It was not widely known that the man, who identified himself as Travis Timmerman and went missing in Hungary in May, was in Syria.
"I was on a pilgrimage to Damascus," he told NBC News in a building on the outskirts of the capital.
Travis Timmerman speaking to NBC News outside the Syrian capital Damascus on Thursday.
A U.S. official told NBC News that Washington was "aware of reports of an American found outside of Damascus and seeking to provide support.
Persons:
Travis Timmerman, Bashar al, Assad, Timmerman, “ Travis, ”, he'd, Ted Turner, ” Timmerman, “, Austin Tice, Pete Timmerman, Travis Pete Timmerman, ” Matt Bradley, Chantal Da Silva
Organizations:
NBC, NBC News, CBS News, U.S, Washington, Authorities, Highway Patrol
Locations:
DAMASCUS, Syria, A Missouri, Damascus, Hungary, American, Dhiyabia, Lebanon, Europe, Missouri, Budapest, London