U.S. Marine Veteran Back Home After Months in Mexican Jail
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Version 0 of 1. A United States Marine veteran, newly freed after spending seven months in a Mexican jail on gun charges, arrived in his home state of Florida on Saturday to get treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder. A Mexican court released the man, Andrew Tahmooressi, 26, a veteran of the war in Afghanistan, on Friday on psychological grounds. Mr. Tahmooressi, who now serves in the Marine reserve, was jailed in Mexico after arriving at the border from California with three guns in his pickup, the authorities said. He was arrested on March 31 by Mexican customs agents at the San Ysidro crossing between San Diego and Tijuana and charged with weapons offenses. Video shown on South Florida’s Local 10 News on Saturday showed Mr. Tahmooressi stepping off a plane in the early morning darkness and being driven to the family’s home in Weston, Fla. He was accompanied by his mother, Jill Tahmooressi, and Bill Richardson, the former American ambassador to the United Nations, who had worked for his release. “He’s a good young man,” Mr. Richardson said on CNN on Saturday. ”You know, he’s a war hero and we have to stand behind him.” Mr. Tahmooressi’s case drew considerable attention, with lawmakers in the United States taking the unusual step of scheduling a congressional hearing during a legislative recess. Supporters said Mr. Tahmooressi entered Mexico accidentally at a poorly marked border crossing after moving to San Diego to get treatment for his stress disorder. Mexican authorities have said Mr. Tahmooressi did not cross the border by accident and did not declare his weapons. The State Department issued a statement saying it was pleased that Mr. Tahmooressi had been released. “We are grateful for the excellent cooperation we received from Mexican authorities,” said Jen Psaki, the State Department spokeswoman, adding that Mr. Tahmooreessi could now receive the medical care he needed. Mr. Richardson, who has negotiated on behalf of Americans jailed abroad in the past, had visited Mr. Tahmooressi at El Hongo prison in Mexico. |