Syria - live: US man Travis Timmerman found after months in Assad prison as rebels set to suspend constitution
American Travis Timmerman was found by Syrian rebels, as Israel continues its bombardment around much of the country
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Your support makes all the difference.An American who was detained in Syria for seven months has been freed, as Syrian rebels scour areas once controlled by Bashar al-Assad’s now-deposed regime.
Travis Timmerman, from Missouri, was found when trying to find his own way out of Syria after being freed from a prison by Syrian rebels.
He was initially mistaken by some on social media to be American journalist Austin Tice, who disappeared in Syria in 2012.
Mr Timmerman was detained when he entered Syria without permission for “spiritual purposes” seven months ago, he told CBS News. He was freed by two armed men with AK-47s on Monday after a stretch in prison which “wasn’t too bad”.
Meanwhile, the newly formed administration of Syria is planning to suspend the country’s constitution and parliament.
A source close to the Syrian government told Reuters news agency that a new committee of experts would make amendments to the constitution, but did not reveal what this might consist of.
It comes as the Turkish foreign minister, intelligence chief and Qatar’s head of state security are set to meet rebel leader Abu Mohammed al-Golani and caretaker prime minister Mohammed al-Bashir in Damascus on Thursday.
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Opposition asks whether Syrian refugees in Britain should return home
The fate of Syrian asylum seekers in the UK has been a topic of debate in the House of Commons today.
Shadow home secretary Chris Philp asked his Labour counterpart Yvette Cooper whether people who fled the Assad regime in recent years should return home “once safe”.
“Will the Home Secretary agree that given most, if not all, of these asylum claims are predicated on the threat posed to the individual by former president Assad, now that threat has gone and the basis for the asylum claim has gone, it would be reasonable to ask those Syrians claiming asylum on that basis, or recently granted asylum on that basis, to return once safe?” he asked.
Ms Cooper appeared, at least in part, to agree, saying many claims had been made for asylum against the Assad regime.
“It would therefore not be appropriate to be granting asylum decisions on those cases in the current circumstances,” she said.
Badenoch urges Starmer to strip Assad backers of citizenship
Conservatives leader Kemi Badenoch has urged Keir Starmer to remove UK citizenship from any “jihadi terrorists and supporters of Assad” who want to return from Syria.
Ms Badenoch used PMQs this afternoon to claim the fall of Bashar Assad’s regime could increase small boat arrivals to the UK, as she also attacked Prime Minister Sir Keir’s record on immigration.
Sir Keir opened PMQs by welcoming the fall of the Assad regime, telling MPs: “The people of Syria suffered for far too long under his brutal regime.
“What comes next is far from certain. We’ve been talking to regional and global allies to ensure that it is a political solution which protects civilians and minorities, and absolutely rejects terrorism and violence,” he said.
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