BEIRUT, Lebanon — A Canadian citizen who had been held in Syrian prisons since last year and was freed after Lebanese mediation said on Friday that while imprisoned he had no idea if anyone knew he was still alive.

The freed captive, Kristian Lee Baxter, appeared emotional and at times jittery at a news conference in Beirut, the capital. A Lebanese general who helped negotiate his release said that Baxter would be heading home. It was not clear when Syria set him free.

Baxter was detained while he was traveling in Syria in search of adventure, Canadian news outlets reported last December.

Lebanon’s General Security Chief, Abbas Ibrahim, said Baxter had been arrested for what the Syrian authorities considered a “major violation” of local laws. While not elaborating, he said the authorities there may have considered his arrest security related.