Page 4 - aruba-today-20220922

A4 U.S. NEWS
Thursday 22 sepTember 2022
Russian separatists release 10, including 2 U.S. veterans

By JAY REEVES are being safely returned, call from Saudi Arabia on
Associated Press ending months of uncer- Wednesday morning and
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) — tainty and suffering for an embassy worker hand-
Two U.S. military veterans them and their families,” ed the phone to the man,
who disappeared three she tweeted. Shaw said.
months ago while fighting Moroccan media reported “He got on the phone and
Russia with Ukrainian forces that the released prisoners said, ‘Hi mom, it’s your fa-
were among 10 prisoners, included Brahim Saadoun, vorite child,’” she said.
including five British nation- 21, who was sentenced to Huynh moved to north Ala-
als, released by Russian- death in June after being bama two years ago from
backed separatists as part accused of terrorism and his native California and
of a prisoner exchange trying to overturn the con- lives about 120 miles (193
mediated by Saudi Arabia, stitutional order. Captured kilometers) from Drueke.
officials said Wednesday. by Russian-backed sepa- Before leaving for Europe,
Alex Drueke, 40, and Andy ratists in Ukraine, the court Huynh told his local news-
Huynh, 27, went missing in This combination file photo shows U.S. military veterans Andy claimed he was a merce- paper, The Decatur Daily,
the Kharkiv region of north- Huynh, left, and Alexander Drueke. nary, while Saadoun’s fa- he couldn’t stop thinking
eastern Ukraine near the Associated Press ther said he had enlisted in about Russia’s invasion.
Russian border June 9. They Ukraine’s regular army. “I know it wasn’t my prob-
had traveled to Ukraine Russian state television had lem, but there was that gut
on their own and became leases and thanked the one of them was Aiden previously said Drueke and feeling that I felt I had to
friends because both are governments of Ukraine Aslin, 28, who had been Huynh were being held by do something,” Huynh told
from Alabama. and Saudi Arabia for their sentenced to death after Russian-backed separat- the paper. “Two weeks af-
Their families announced work to secure the detain- he was captured in eastern ists in the Donbas region ter the war began, it kept
their release in a joint state- ees’ freedom. “We look for- Ukraine. of eastern Ukraine. The U.S. eating me up inside and
ment from Dianna Shaw, ward to our citizens being “Aiden’s return brings to does not recognize the it just felt wrong. I was los-
an aunt of Drueke. reunited with their families,” an end months of agonis- sovereignty of the Donetsk ing sleep. ... All I could think
“They are safely in the cus- he said in a tweet. ing uncertainty for Aiden’s People’s Republic and has about was the situation in
tody of the U.S. embassy The Saudi embassy re- loving family in Newark no diplomatic relations with Ukraine.”
in Saudi Arabia and after leased a statement say- who suffered every day them, making it necessary Huynh told his fiance he
medical checks and de- ing it helped secure the of Aiden’s sham trial but for others to lead efforts to wants a meal from Mc-
briefing they will return to release of 10 prisoners never lost hope. As they get the men released. Donald’s and a Pepsi-Co-
the states,” the statement from Morocco, the United are united as a family once Drueke joined the Army at la when he returns home,
said. States, the United Kingdom, more, they can finally be at age 19 after the terror at- Shaw said.
Shaw said both men have Sweden and Croatia. Shaw peace,” Jenrick tweeted. tacks of Sept. 11, 2001, and The two men bonded over
spoken with relatives and confirmed that Drueke and British Prime Minister Liz Truss he believed he could help their home state and were
are in “pretty good shape,” Huynh were part of the heralded the news on so- Ukrainian fighters because together when their unit
according to an official group. cial media. of his training and experi- came under heavy fire. Rel-
with the U.S. embassy. The United Kingdom said “Hugely welcome news ence with weapons, Shaw atives spoke with Drueke
President Joe Biden’s na- five British nationals had that five British nationals said previously. Drueke left several times by phone
tional security adviser Jake been released, and law- held by Russian-backed in mid-April. while the two were being
Sullivan welcomed the re- maker Robert Jenrick said proxies in eastern Ukraine Druke’s mother received a held.q

Lindell sues to recover cellphone seized

by FBI agents

a prominent promoter of it pertaining to Dominion motion the eventual distri-
false claims that voting ma- Voting Systems, as well as bution of confidential in-
chines were manipulated to a Colorado county clerk formation to unauthorized
to steal the 2020 presiden- and other alleged co-con- people.” She has pleaded
tial election, asked the spirators. not guilty.
court to order the return of The complaint also says Lin- Peters has appeared at
his phone and to prohibit dell has been served with a several events with Lindell
federal authorities from us- grand jury subpoena dat- over the past year, includ-
ing any data they’ve ac- ed Sept. 7 that seeks simi- ing his “cybersymposium”
MyPillow chief executive Mike Lindell speaks to reporters outside cessed from it or from his lar information to what the in August 2021 in South
federal court in Washington, Thursday, June 24, 2021. cellular service provider. search warrant covered. Dakota at which a digital
Associated Press FBI agents stopped Lindell The scope of the federal copy of Mesa County’s
By STEVE KARNOWSKI vestigation into an alleged at the drive-through win- grand jury probe in Colo- election management sys-
Associated Press scheme to breach voting dow of a Hardee’s restau- rado isn’t known, but lo- tem was distributed.
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — MyP- system technology. rant in Mankato on Sept. cal authorities there have According to Lindell’s
illow chief executive Mike Lindell alleges in the com- 13, when Lindell says he charged Mesa County complaint, the FBI agents
Lindell has sued the Depart- plaint, filed Tuesday in fed- was on his way home from Clerk Tina Peters in what boxed in his truck at the
ment of Justice and the FBI, eral court in Minnesota, duck hunting with a friend they’ve described as a drive-through, then ques-
demanding the return of that the confiscation of his in Iowa. They came with a “deceptive scheme, which tioned him for 25 to 30 min-
a cellphone agents seized iPhone violated his consti- search warrant, signed by was designed to influence utes about Dominion and
from him outside a fast tutional rights against un- U.S. Magistrate Judge Tony public servants, breach Peters. It says the agents al-
food restaurant in southern lawful search and seizure Leung on Sept. 7, that au- security protocols, exceed lowed Lindell to leave only
Minnesota last week, ap- and an attempt to chill his thorized them to seize his permissible access to vot- after he handed over his
parently as part of an in- freedom of speech. Lindell, cellphone and data on ing equipment and set in phone.q