OAN Staff Abril Elfi
12:15 PM – Tuesday, February 11, 2025
The White House has announced that American school teacher Marc Fogel, who was sentenced to 14 years in a Russian prison, has been freed.
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On Tuesday, White House national security adviser Mike Waltz said in a statement that Fogel, an American teacher who was arrested in Russia and was serving a 14-year sentence there, was heading back to the United States.
“Today, President Donald J. Trump and his Special Envoy Steve Witkoff are able to announce that Mr. Witkoff is leaving Russian airspace with Marc Fogel, an American who was detained by Russia,” Waltz said. “President Trump, Steve Witkoff and the President’s advisors negotiated an exchange that serves as a show of good faith from the Russians and a sign we are moving in the right direction to end the brutal and terrible war in Ukraine.”
According to ABC News, the State Department had stated that in October of 2024 Fogel was determined to be “wrongfully detained.”
“By tonight, Marc Fogel will be on American soil and reunited with his family and loved ones thanks to President Trump’s leadership,” Waltz added in the statement.
Fogel was a teacher at Moscow’s Anglo-American School, where many ambassadors from the U.S. Embassy bring their children.
He was arrested in August 2021 after landing at a Moscow airport. He was accused of attempting to bring in 11 grams of marijuana, and eight grams of hash oil after they were allegedly discovered in his suitcase.
He was sentenced to 14 years in prison on a narcotics smuggling allegation that his family claims was fabricated, and the United States has urged for his humanitarian release.
Fogel’s relatives told the Associated Press they were “beyond grateful, relieved and overwhelmed” that he was coming home.
“This has been the darkest and most painful period of our lives, but today, we begin to heal,” they said. “For the first time in years, our family can look forward to the future with hope.”
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
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