Sydney On Monday, Australia granted the United States’ request for extradition of Daniel Duggan, a former U.S. Marine pilot who is accused of violating U.S. weapons control legislation by instructing Chinese military pilots on how to land on aircraft carriers.
Shortly after returning from China, where he had resided since 2014, 55-year-old Duggan, a naturalized Australian citizen, was taken into custody by Australian Federal Police in a rural community in the state of New South Wales in October 2022.
Duggan was no longer a citizen of the United States at the time of the alleged offenses, and his attorneys have contended in court that there is no proof the Chinese pilots he trained were military. According to a certificate issued by the U.S. embassy in Beijing, he renounced his U.S. citizenship in 2016 with a backdate of 2012.
After a magistrate in New South Wales ruled in May that Duggan was suitable for surrender, Australia’s Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus announced he had decided that he should be extradited to the United States to face charges.
The chance to offer arguments against his surrender to the United States was granted to Mr. Duggan. I considered all of the information that was presented to me when I came to my decision,” Dreyfus said in a statement.
Duggan, who has been detained since his arrest and has six children in Australia, was not available for comment.
The government’s letter stating that Duggan will be extradited between December 30 and February 17 shocked his family, according to a statement from his wife, Saffrine.
According to the statement, the family and Dan’s attorneys are currently weighing their legal options, which may include asking for particular justifications for the government’s ruling.
According to the statement, the accusations are focused on a South African flight school where Duggan was employed as a part-time instructor more than 12 years ago.
It further stated that Dan maintains his innocence and refutes the accusations against him, which were not regarded as crimes in Australia.
Between 2009 and 2012, Duggan traveled between Australia, the United States, China, and South Africa, according to an indictment unsealed by the District of Columbia court. He was hired by a Chinese national to perform services for a Chinese state-owned company, which included training Chinese military pilot trainees and landing on aircraft carriers.
According to Duggan’s attorneys, U.S. investigators discovered correspondence with him on electronic devices taken from Chinese hacker Su Bin, whom Duggan knew as an employment broker for the Chinese state aviation business AVIC.
The U.S. indictment names seven co-conspirators, including convicted hacker Su Bin, but Duggan’s attorneys contend the hacking case has nothing to do with it.
The same week that Britain threatened to prosecute scores of former military pilots for continuing to work for China, Duggan was arrested.
In reaction to the case and an inquiry into another pilot who worked at the South African flight school, Australia strengthened regulations prohibiting former defense personnel from instructing specific foreign forces.
Note: Every piece of content is rigorously reviewed by our team of experienced writers and editors to ensure its accuracy. Our writers use credible sources and adhere to strict fact-checking protocols to verify all claims and data before publication. If an error is identified, we promptly correct it and strive for transparency in all updates, feel free to reach out to us via email. We appreciate your trust and support!