Abdelkader Chaar
/ file photo
U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer says Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has assured him that she is "doing all she can" to find out about the apparent arrest of an American in Syria.
Abdelkader Chaar is a medical student who was born in Syracuse and has relatives in Liverpool. Family members say Chaar was seized by Syrian government recently and hasn't been heard from since.
Schumer said he called Secretary of State Clinton Sunday evening in hopes she "could get to the bottom of this."
The Senator said he has sponsored legislation to toughen sanctions on Syria which he says is "on the verge of a civil war." Schumer says Syria is different from other middle east countries undergoing civil unrest because it is "more brutal" to its citizens.
Schumer said, "They'll do everything they can to find his exact location and what has happened to him, they have some details but can't make those public because that might jeopardize him in one way or another."
Chaar was due to return to the US next month to do a six week's rotation at the Cleveland Clinic.
