B.C. man held in Syria after seeking adventure now released

A British Columbia man who went to Syria late last year to seek adventure and was then detained has been released, Lebanon's security chief Abbas Ibrahimsaid Friday.

Kristian Lee Baxter of Nanaimo was detained for "reasons related to breaking Syrian law," Ibrahim said at a news conference in Beirut.

Baxter andCanadian Ambassador Emmanuelle Lamoureux appeared alongside Ibrahim, wholast month mediated the release of U.S. citizen Sam Goodwin fromSyria.

"I thought I would be there forever," Baxtersaid,thankingthe Canadian Embassy and Lebanese authorities for helping himget out of Syria.

"I didn't know if anyone knew if I was alive,"he added, and then began to sob, cutting short his comments.

Lamoureux thanked Ibrahim, but said shecould not give any details about the case.

"We are very relieved that Mr. Kristian Baxter has been released from Syria," Guillaume Brub, spokesperson for Global Affairs Canada, said in an emailed statement.

Canadian consular officials have been "actively engaged" throughout the case and continue to provide services to Baxter and his family, the statement said.

Watch as Kristian Baxter speaks in Beirut:

'I thought I would be there forever': Kristian Lee Baxter

5 years ago

Duration 0:42

After shedding a few tears, Baxter thanks the Canadian Embassy and Lebanese authorities for helping him get out of Syria.

Brub said Global Affairs would not be releasing further information due to Canada's Privacy Act, but he expressed "appreciation to the government of Lebanon for its assistance."

Baxter's mother,Andrea Leclair, said in an interview last January that her son, who was 44 at the time, arrived in Syria on Nov. 26, 2018, but then went silent after his last message on Dec. 1.

Described as 'adventurer'

Leclair told The Canadian Press her sonis a world traveller and"adventurer" who has been "all over the place."

Baxter was supposed to be home Dec. 13 and his travel visa to Syria expired on Dec. 12 or 13, she said.

Dennis Schmock, a resident of Denmark and Baxter's friend, met with him in Copenhagen in October when the Canadian was on his way to Syria.

Schmock said Baxter believed the region was stable and safe for travellers, and Schmockwas a "history buff" who wanted to explore the area.

He said he and Baxter first met about 20 years ago while travelling in Israel. Schmock described his friend as "a bit foolish, but curious."

Schmocksaid Baxter shared pictures with him fromSyria at the end of November before communication went silent.

Schmockhad no idea why his friend was detained during his travels.

Several Western citizens have been held in Syria since thecivil war began there in 2011, including some by jihadist groupssuch as the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS).

The United States has said it believes U.S. journalistAustin Tice, who has been held in Syria since 2012, is alive, andWashington has sought the help of the Syrian government's allyRussia to free him.

Last year, the family of another American, Majd Kamalmaz, told the New York Times that he had disappeared at a governmentcheckpoint in Damascus in 2017.