Syrian

The American journalist vanished near the Syrian capital of Damascus in August 2012, just days after his 31st birthday.

The regulations, issued by the tourism ministry, were "aimed at enhancing public safety standards and preserving public decency", Syrian state news channel Al-Ikhbariyah al-Suriyah reported.

He traveled the world with his wife, a Syrian American, practiced law on Wall Street, ran a chocolate company and a small tech firm.

The lead officer, who spoke fluent Palestinian Arabic dialect, took me by the hand towards one of the rooms at the crossing point which were previously used by the Syrian army.

The US government has previously stated that it believed he had been held by the Syrian government, but the Assad regime continuously denied this, and nothing was known about the details of his detention.