WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. citizen Travis Timmerman flew out of Syria, where he had been imprisoned and was freed by rebels this week, a U.S. official said on Friday.
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Timmermann was transferred to Jordan and is now with State Department officials.
Timmerman went missing last June, according to his parents. He was released from prison earlier this week after Syrian rebel groups ousted longtime President Bashar al-Assad.
The White House said Thursday that the United States had no prior indication that the man was in Syria.
Assad fled to Russia after 13 years of civil war and more than 50 years of family dictatorship. During this period, Syria operated one of the most repressive police states in the Middle East.
Since his ouster, Syrians have flocked to notorious prisons where the Assad regime is believed to have detained tens of thousands of people.
Austin Tice, another American citizen kidnapped in Syria 10 years ago, has never been found.
Thais, a former U.S. Marine and freelance journalist, was kidnapped while reporting from Damascus in August 2012.
