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

DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — An American who turned up in Syria 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. As video of Timmerman circulated online Thursday, he was initially mistaken by some for Austin Tice, an American journalist who went missing in Syria 12 years ago. In an interview with Al-Arabiya TV, he said he had been treated well in detention but had heard other young men being tortured.