B.C. ‘adventurer’ detained in war-torn Syria has been missing for more than a month, mother says

VANCOUVER — A British Columbia man who went to Syria seeking adventure has been detained in the war-ravaged country, and Canada’s Department of Foreign Affairs says there is little it can do to help.

The mother of the man from Nanaimo, B.C., said he has not been in touch for more than a month and is pleading for help getting him home.

Andrea Leclair told The Canadian Press that her son, Kristian Lee Baxter, 44, messaged her daily because she was worried after he arrived in Syria on Nov. 26, but he went silent after his last message on Dec. 1.

Asked about Baxter, Global Affairs Canada confirmed it is aware of a Canadian who has been detained in Syria. But the department offered no other details and would not confirm his identity, citing the Privacy Act.

The government has been warning Canadians to avoid travelling to Syria since 2011, after the outbreak of a civil war that has attracted foreign powers and spawned myriad militias, including a new Islamist terror group, while leaving an estimated 500,000 people dead.

Canada severed diplomatic relations with Syria in 2012, expelling its diplomats and shuttering its embassy.

“Consular services are being provided to the family and to the individual, to the limited extent possible. Given the security situation on the ground, the Government of Canada’s ability to provide consular assistance in any part of Syria is extremely limited,” Global Affairs spokesperson Stefano Maron said.

Leclair described her son as a “world traveller and adventurer,” and said he visited a village near the border with Lebanon at the invitation of his girlfriend’s brother-in-law, who now lives in Pennsylvania but visits the village regularly. “I just want him home,” Leclair said. One of Baxter’s flights was delayed on his way to Beirut, so his luggage arrived after him, she said. His driver went back to retrieve the luggage, which contained a metal detector, and “never came back.”

Baxter told the border officials that the suitcase belonged to him, but they did not detain him or release the driver, she said. After four or five days, Baxter returned once again to claim responsibility, she said, and has not been heard from since.