Eric Westervelt is a San Francisco-based correspondent for NPR's National Desk. He has reported on major events for the network from wars and revolutions in the Middle East and North Africa to historic wildfires and terrorist attacks in the U.S.
The American identified himself Travis Timmerman. He says he was held for seven months in Sednaya -- a notorious prison in which thousands of people were arbitrarily detained under the Syrian regime.
The FIFA games in 2034 will bring the world to Saudi Arabia, a crowning moment as the country overhauls its economy and rebrands itself on the global stage.