Missing American held since May is found alive in Damascus

An American citizen found in the suburbs of Damascus yesterday says he was detained after crossing into the country by foot on a Christian pilgrimage seven months ago, raising hopes for other foreign nationals missing in Syria.

- Guardian international staff

The man was identified later as Travis Pete Timmerman, aged 29, from Missouri, last seen in the Hungarian capital, Budapest, in late May.

He appears to be among the thousands of people released from Syria's notorious prisons after rebels reached Damascus over the weekend, toppling President Bashar al-Assad and ending his family's 54-year rule.

As video of Timmerman emerged online yesterday, he was initially mistaken by some for Austin Tice, an American journalist who went missing in Syria 12 years ago. The footage showed a group of men gesturing at a shaken-looking, pale man with a beard who was lying on the floor, identifying him as "an American journalist".

In the video, Timmerman could be seen lying on a mattress under a blanket in what appeared to be a private house. A group of men in the video said he was being treated well and would be returned home safely.

US officials said they were working to confirm Timmerman's identity and provide support. Speaking in Aqaba in Jordan, the secretary of state, Antony Blinken, told reporters that Washington was "working to bring him home, to bring him out of Syria", but declined to comment further.