In breaking news, Brittney Griner has been released from a Russian prison after US President Joe Biden signed off on a prisoner swap deal.
Full story below…
It’s been confirmed that the Biden administration negotiated the release of the WNBA star from a Russian jail in exchange for Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout, – who has been referred to as the “Merchant of Death”.
President Biden, who is set to address the press imminently, signed off on the trade, which took place in the United Arab Emirates.
Moments ago, the Biden administration shared the following tweet:
Griner, who is an Olympic medalist, was arrested in February for possession of less than 1 gram of marijuana oil in Moscow.
After six months of incarceration, she was officially convicted of drug smuggling in August and sentenced to 9-years in prison. An earlier appeal for her release was denied.
Griner is now confirmed to be heading home to the United States.