Brittney Griner: WNBA star arrives at US hospital after being released by Russia in prisoner swap
The WNBA star was detained at a Russian airport in February
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Your support makes all the difference.Brittney Griner has returned to US soil for the first time in 10 months after she was released from Russian custody in a prisoner swap with “Merchant of Death” Viktor Bout.
The WNBA star arrived at the Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio early on 9 December for examination and any additional medical treatment.
Footage showed Ms Griner and Bout being exchanged on the tarmac of a runway in the United Arab Emirates on 8 December following weeks of negotiations between Washington DC and Moscow.
The deal failed to include US Marine Paul Whelan, who has been detained in Russia for the last four years. Mr Whelan told CNN he was “greatly disappointed” to learn he was not part of the prisoner swap, saying: “I don’t understand why I’m still sitting here.”
President Joe Biden insisted that “we’ve not forgotten about Paul Whelan” and vowed to “never give up” securing his release, as the swap divided opinion across the country. The White House was also forced to deny claims made by Saudi Arabia and the UAE that Mohammed bin Salman negotiated the deal.
Brittney Griner lands back on US soil after being freed from Russia in prisoner swap for Viktor Bout
White House denies Saudi claim MBS negotiated Brittney Griner and Viktor Bout prisoner swap
Trump turned down Paul Whelan and Viktor Bout prisoner swap years ago, John Bolton says
Biden says US ‘never stopped pushing’ for Brittney Griner release and will ‘never give up’ on Paul Whelan and othersBrittney Griner: Footage released of prisoner exchange in Abu Dhabi
Watch: President Joe Biden’s full remarks on Brittney Griner’s release
NFL player Micah Parsons issues apology for tweeting ‘out of emotion’ after criticizing Biden over Paul Whelan
Micah Parsons, an NFL player with the Dallas Cowboys, issued a swift apology on Twitter after he “tweeted out of emotion” for his family when he wrote a post earlier on Thursday about his dismay that former marine and detained American Paul Whelan was not included with the prisoner exchange that saw WNBA star Brittney Griner return home for an international arms dealer.
“Wait nah!! We left a marine?!! Hell nah,” tweeted the outside linebacker, a comment that apparently led to immediate pushback as he followed up that message with another clarifying note shortly after.
Less than two hours after firing off those initial tweets, Mr Parsons issued a more explicit apology, writing: “Just spoke to some people that I respect and trust. I should have been more educated on the topic and not tweeted out of emotion for my family and other who have served. For that I apologize.”
He added that he was “extremely happy” that Ms Griner was home with her family. “I am not too prideful to admit when I’ve made a mistake.”
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