BREAKING Marc Fogel, American detained in Russia, arrives back in U.S. after being freed

[Bazza]

Washington — Marc Fogel, an American schoolteacher who had been held in Russia since 2021, arrived back on U.S. soil late Tuesday night after the White House announced earlier in the day that it had negotiated his release.

The White House released a photo of a jubilant Fogel disembarking a plane at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland. Alongside him were White House national security adviser Michael Waltz and Adam Boehler, the Trump administration's envoy for hostages.

Marc Fogel, American detained in Russia, arrives back in U.S. after being freed

The White House announced Tuesday that it has negotiated the release of Marc Fogel, an American teacher who was imprisoned in Russia.

www.cbsnews.com

 

[Bazza]

"I feel like the luckiest man on Earth right now," Fogel said in a briefing with reporters alongside Mr. Trump in the Diplomatic Reception Room, calling the president "a hero" for facilitating his return.

"I'm a middle-class school teacher who's now in a dream world," Fogel said.

The White House has declined to provide details about what the U.S. was giving up in the deal with Russia, and Mr. Trump also refused to say how it was reached, only describing the terms as "very fair, very reasonable." The president also teased that "somebody else is being released tomorrow that you will know of."

 

[Bazza]

A history teacher from Pennsylvania, Fogel was arrested by Russian authorities at the airport in Moscow in 2021. His family had said he was carrying 17 grams of marijuana for medical reasons to treat chronic back pain.

His family had pushed for Mr. Trump's predecessor, former President Joe Biden, to secure his release, particularly after Fogel was left out of prisoner swaps negotiated by the previous administration. In December 2022, Russia released WNBA star Brittney Griner in a one-for-one prisoner swap for international arms dealer Viktor Bout.

Then, last August, the Biden administration secured the release of three more Americans from Russia — Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, Marine veteran Paul Whelan and Russian-American radio journalist Alsu Kurmasheva — as part of a 24-person prisoner exchange.

In addition to Fogel, that deal omitted several other Americans imprisoned in Russia, including musician Michael Travis Leake, U.S. Army staff sergeant Gordon Black and Russian-American ballerina Ksenia Karelina.

 

[Bazza]

Marc Fogel’s return home is long overdue—and I know all of Pennsylvania, especially his family, will be welcoming him back with open arms. I want to thank @POTUS and @SteveWitkoff for their efforts in finally bringing Marc home.

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1889386838999101507

 

[Bodhisattva]

If Marc was a female America-hating basketball player, he would have been freed a long time ago.

 

[Huckleberry]

If Marc was a female America-hating basketball player, he would have been freed a long time ago.

While I disagree with the comparison, I do agree that the Biden Administration should have negotiated for his release years ago. I applaud Trump and all of the others involved in securing this outcome.

 

[75thru79]

A history teacher from Pennsylvania, Fogel was arrested by Russian authorities at the airport in Moscow in 2021. His family had said he was carrying 17 grams of marijuana for medical reasons to treat chronic back pain.

Jeez, just how stupid can people be? I would never, ever go to another country with something like that on my person. Especially knowing how countries like this are just looking for an excuse to detain someone so they have currency to use in a future prisoner exchange.

 

[Bodhisattva]

Jeez, just how stupid can people be? I would never, ever go to another country with something like that on my person. Especially knowing how countries like this are just looking for an excuse to detain someone so they have currency to use in a future prisoner exchange.

If I go to Thailand this summer, I'm thinking about bringing a suitcase full of uncut heroin. I've heard there are severe penalties for drug possession, but I'm special and rules don't apply to me. Should I rethink this plan, or do you think I'm good to go?

 

[selmaborntidefan]

If Marc was a female America-hating basketball player, he would have been freed a long time ago.

He didn’t check the right identity politics boxes to warrant the effort of trading an arms dealer tor him.

That said I’m glad both are home.

 

[Its On A Slab]

If I go to Thailand this summer, I'm thinking about bringing a suitcase full of uncut heroin. I've heard there are severe penalties for drug possession, but I'm special and rules don't apply to me. Should I rethink this plan, or do you think I'm good to go?

I have always believed that stupidity should add years to a sentence. Why would anyone think it was a smart idea to travel internationally with any kind of drug that could get them arrested? When I was in Europe last Spring, I carried the prescription papers with me for everything that we had in our luggage. I didn't want any questions.

I guess he had a medical marijuana script. But how many countries honor this? Especially Russia.

I also find it hard to believe that you can casually forget that you are carrying a gun when you go thru airport security. Wouldn't that be the first thing you thought of when packing for the trip?

 

[Bodhisattva]

I have always believed that stupidity should add years to a sentence. Why would anyone think it was a smart idea to travel internationally with any kind of drug that could get them arrested? When I was in Europe last Spring, I carried the prescription papers with me for everything that we had in our luggage. I didn't want any questions.

I guess he had a medical marijuana script. But how many countries honor this? Especially Russia.

I also find it hard to believe that you can casually forget that you are carrying a gun when you go thru airport security. Wouldn't that be the first thing you thought of when packing for the trip?

Yeah, bringing recreational drugs into other counties, especially a place as hostile as Russia, just blows my mind. It's the ultimate "hold my beer" moment.

I double- and triple-checked what prescription meds my family and I could bring to Japan last Spring. (They are very restrictive about medications allowed for their own people.) It's amazing how casually thoughtless (or arrogant) tourists abroad can be.

I'm all for clubbing the stupid into compliance. It's quicker and more satisfying than extra jail time. But that's just me.

 

[Its On A Slab]

Yeah, bringing recreational drugs into other counties, especially a place as hostile as Russia, just blows my mind. It's the ultimate "hold my beer" moment.

I double- and triple-checked what prescription meds my family and I could bring to Japan last Spring. (They are very restrictive about medications allowed for their own people.) It's amazing how casually thoughtless (or arrogant) tourists abroad can be.

I'm all for clubbing the stupid into compliance. It's quicker and more satisfying than extra jail time. But that's just me.

Adding years to stupid criminals' sentences decreases the number of stupid crimes they will commit. It's a win/win!

 

[selmaborntidefan]

I also find it hard to believe that you can casually forget that you are carrying a gun when you go thru airport security. Wouldn't that be the first thing you thought of when packing for the trip?

for some reason, this brings Barry Switzer to mind……..

On a more serious note, Americans are insanely arrogant AND stupid. Too many who have never set foot outside our borders naively think that just so long as you go to a EUROPEAN country, it’s just America with better health care! The number of idiotic Facebook posts who will tell me this country and that country have free college or healthcare but really don’t know the first thing about those countries is staggering.

I recently did 15 days in France and the UK, and the road cameras for speeding and parking are insane (l do not recall this level of being on camera 1975-84 over there). The roads that aren’t highways make the narrow 2-lane New England roads look like you could drive an APC alongside an 18-wheeler and still have room for a VW bug.

But Americans go these places - not understanding it IS a privilege to be born or live here - and think they’re still in the USA, so when they get caught with something they think it’s no big deal.

One thing I recall as a military dependent in then West Germany was the briefing when we got there during the Cold War. “If you are arrested for something in their (note: any) country, you fall under their laws, and if you did something really bad, we’ll deny we even know you.”

I concur with you, you’d just think “no, not worth the risk.”

 

[Its On A Slab]

for some reason, this brings Barry Switzer to mind……..

On a more serious note, Americans are insanely arrogant AND stupid. Too many who have never set foot outside our borders naively think that just so long as you go to a EUROPEAN country, it’s just America with better health care! The number of idiotic Facebook posts who will tell me this country and that country have free college or healthcare but really don’t know the first thing about those countries is staggering.

I recently did 15 days in France and the UK, and the road cameras for speeding and parking are insane (l do not recall this level of being on camera 1975-84 over there). The roads that aren’t highways make the narrow 2-lane New England roads look like you could drive an APC alongside an 18-wheeler and still have room for a VW bug.

But Americans go these places - not understanding it IS a privilege to be born or live here - and think they’re still in the USA, so when they get caught with something they think it’s no big deal.

One thing I recall as a military dependent in then West Germany was the briefing when we got there during the Cold War. “If you are arrested for something in their (note: any) country, you fall under their laws, and if you did something really bad, we’ll deny we even know you.”

I concur with you, you’d just think “no, not worth the risk.”

One thing I never do in a foreign country is to drive. Most of the countries I've visited have great public transportation. I spent 3 weeks in Europe last Spring (Vienna, Prague, Paris, Krakau, and even a day trip to Istanbul) and used public transportation totally. Even when we were in San Miguel de Allende, we rode the city buses around town.

 

[lowend]

The first thing I think when I hear about something like this is, "what the crap were you doing there in the first place?" Americans need to stop going to the countries of our enemies. Russia, Turkey, Iran, Syria, China, etc. You have ZERO business going. Got family there? Tough.

 

[Bodhisattva]

Perhaps the most head-shaking incident in recent memory was about 15 years ago when three dopes from Berkeley decided, of all the places in the world to go hitchhiking, the Iraq-Iran border was the place they had to be. They liked it so much they stayed and enjoyed Iranian hospitality for more than two years.

 

[Its On A Slab]

The first thing I think when I hear about something like this is, "what the crap were you doing there in the first place?" Americans need to stop going to the countries of our enemies. Russia, Turkey, Iran, Syria, China, etc. You have ZERO business going. Got family there? Tough.

I was in Istanbul last April. I never felt threatened. Crazy city, way too much traffic congestion. A comical episode trying to get from the airport to the Hagia Sophia. Cab driver spoke no English, got irritated at the traffic, dropped us off at a construction site on the interstae, telling us in broken English: "5 Minutes". Google Maps said 30 minutes if we walked. We found their tram system, and it was so crowded I almost got pushed out before it left....the only problem was my wife had made it into the tram, and I was traveling without data on my cell phone. We would have been in a pickel if I didn't lower my shoulder and apply the shoulder block I learned in high school football to get my behind inside the tram.

The Turks I met there were wonderful, helpful people.

 

[Crimson1967]

Perhaps the most head-shaking incident in recent memory was about 15 years ago when three dopes from Berkeley decided, of all the places in the world to go hitchhiking, the Iraq-Iran border was the place they had to be. They liked it so much they stayed and enjoyed Iranian hospitality for more than two years.

Better off than the guy who tore down a poster in North Korea or the genius who went on a mission trip to North Sentinel Island.

 

[Bodhisattva]

Better off than the guy who tore down a poster in North Korea or the genius who went on a mission trip to North Sentinel Island.

Good point. I'm reminded of the warning: As bad as things are, they can already get worse!

 

[Bamaro]

A history teacher from Pennsylvania, Fogel was arrested by Russian authorities at the airport in Moscow in 2021. His family had said he was carrying 17 grams of marijuana for medical reasons to treat chronic back pain.

I would never even fly to Florida with that.