The Missouri man, who was reported missing by Hungarian police in an alert published in June, appears to have been freed along with thousands of other detainees who have been emerging from Syria's jails following the toppling of the country's longtime dictator President Bashar Assad earlier this month.

Family and friends of the Missouri man who had been imprisoned in Syria after he said he crossed into the country on a "pilgrimage" to Damascus hailed his unexpected recovery as a "Christmas miracle" Thursday after about seven months with no contact.

The 29-year-old had last been seen in Budapest, Hungary. He said he was detained earlier this year after crossing into Syria on foot from Lebanon and held in prison until the fall of the Assad regime.