Oak Park Journalist And Companion Detained, Then Freed In Syria

Taylor Luck, 23, of Oak Park (and a Beloit College grad) and Holli Chmela, 27, of Washington, D.C., both journalists for the English-language Jordan Times went missing for a time only to surface in Syria as detainees of the Syrian government. They were caught as they tried to sneak into Syria via the border with Lebanon with the help of smugglers. Word then came this afternoon that the Syrian government had released the pair into U.S. custody and they were being taken to the U.S. Embassy in Damascus. The pair had told friends and family they were heading to Lebanon on vacation but hadn't been heard from in over a week. While Luck was still with the Jordan Times, Chmela had concluded an internship with the publication several weeks ago.

Photo of Luck via US Embassy handout