Arrested US soldier awaiting hearing in Russia on theft charges

WASHINGTON -- The U.S. Army worker arrested successful Russia past week is being held successful a pretrial detention installation waiting for a hearing, the Army said Tuesday.

Staff Sgt. Gordon Black flew to Russia to spot his girlfriend, according to U.S. officials, and the Army confirmed Tuesday that helium had not sought clearance for the planetary question and it was not authorized by the Defense Department.

Under Pentagon policy, work members indispensable get clearance for immoderate planetary question from a information manager oregon commandant and that was not done. The State Department powerfully advises U.S. citizens not to spell to Russia, and fixed the warfare successful Ukraine and ongoing threats to the U.S. and its military, it is highly improbable helium would person been granted approval.

Black was connected permission and successful the process of returning to his location basal astatine Fort Cavazos successful Texas, from South Korea, wherever helium had been stationed astatine Camp Humphreys with the Eighth Army. The U.S. officials said Black, who is married, met his woman successful South Korea. The officials spoke connected information of anonymity to sermon unit details.

“Official and permission question is presently restricted pursuant to the DoD Foreign Clearance Guide.” said Cynthia Smith, an Army spokeswoman, adding that “There is nary grounds Black intended to stay successful Russia” aft his permission clip ended.

Smith said Black enlisted successful the Army successful 2008, and deployed to Iraq from October 2009 done September 2010, and to Afghanistan from June 2013 until March 2014. He is an infantry soldier.

According to Smith, Black signed retired for his determination backmost location and, “instead of returning to the continental United States, Black flew from Incheon, Republic of Korea, done China to Vladivostok, Russia, for idiosyncratic reasons.”

According to the U.S. officials, the Russian pistillate had lived successful South Korea, and past autumn she and Black got into immoderate benignant of home quality oregon altercation. After that, she near South Korea. It isn’t wide if she was forced to permission oregon what, if any, relation Korean authorities had successful the matter.

Smith said that an authoritative from the Russian Ministry of Interior informed the U.S. Embassy successful Moscow connected Friday that Black was arrested connected Thursday successful Vladivostok, “for theft of idiosyncratic property.” The embassy and Eighth Army notified Black’s household of his arrest.

Russia is known to beryllium holding a fig of Americans successful its jails, including firm information enforcement Paul Whelan and Wall Street Journal newsman Evan Gershkovich. The U.S. authorities has designated some arsenic wrongfully detained and has been trying to negociate for their release.

Others detained see Travis Leake, a instrumentalist who had been surviving successful Russia for years and was arrested past twelvemonth connected drug-related charges; Marc Fogel, a teacher successful Moscow, who was sentenced to 14 years successful prison, besides connected cause charges; and dual nationals Alsu Kurmasheva and Ksenia Khavana.

The apprehension comes little than a twelvemonth aft American worker Travis King sprinted into North Korea crossed the heavy fortified borderline betwixt the Koreas. North Korea aboriginal announced that it would expel King, who was returned to the U.S. He was yet charged with desertion.