A man calling himself American Travis Timmerman was found in Syria after being released from prison

A self-proclaimed American from Missouri, Travis Timmerman, was found Thursday in Syria after he was released from prison earlier in the week, when the dictator. Bashar al-Assad was forced to step down for the rebel attack.

Timmerman told CBS News foreign correspondent Elizabeth Palmer that he was trying to get out of the country after being released from prison where he had been held for more than half a year. He said he was arrested when he entered Syria without permission seven months ago after spending a month in neighboring Lebanon.

A US official told CBS News that the government was aware of reports that an American had been found outside Damascus and that he was seeking support, but the official declined to provide further details out of respect for his privacy.

Timmerman said two men armed with AK-47s broke down the jail door on Monday with a hammer.

“My door broke, it woke me up,” Timmerman said. “I thought the guards were already there, so I thought the fight would be more intense than it ended up being… When we got out, there was no resistance, no real fighting.”

Timmerman said he had gone to Syria for “spiritual” Christian purposes and that his experience in prison was “not too bad.”

“I have never been beaten. The worst thing was that I could not go to the toilet when I wanted to. I was only taken out three times a day to go to the toilet,” he said.

Timmerman said he left prison with a large group and started walking. He said he had been trying to get to Jordan.

He said he had “a few moments of fear,” when he got out of prison, and he still hadn't processed the fact that he had been released.

“I haven't thought about that. I've been really worried about finding a place to sleep every night since then,” he told CBS News. “So I've been working, of course.”

Timmerman said he was not afraid to go to people asking for help or a place to stay for the night during his trip.

“They were coming to me, mostly,” Timmerman said, adding that he spoke to his family three weeks ago, on the phone he had while in prison. He said he was allowed to use it.

“I feel good. I've been fed and watered, so I feel good,” Timmerman said.

contributed to this report.