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It was announced on Wednesday, April 26, that missing Israeli professor Gal Luft is wanted by the US government for arms trafficking. According to the Jerusalem Post, Luft was arrested in Cyprus' Larnaca International Airport after he was suspected of illegally trafficking in arms to Libya and China.
He was supposed to be extradited to the US, but disappeared after a Larnaca court released him on bail.
Gal Luft was officially announced to be wanted on March 28, after he did not appear at a Paphos police station. In a Twitter post later, he denied that he was an arms dealer, claiming that the charges were fabricated by the US government as part of a conspiracy. He further added that he is being targeted because he is critical of the US foreign policy.
Gal Luft served as a Senior Advisor at the US Energy Security Council in 2011
According to his LinkedIn profile, before the arms dealing allegations, Gal Luft was a co-director at the Institute for the Analysis of Global Security. After receiving a PhD in philosophy at John Hopkins University in Maryland, he eventually emerged as a Senior Advisor at the US Energy Security Council in 2011.
He was also the Chairman of International Privacy Machines, as well as an adjunct professor at OSTIM in Turkey.
Ynet News noted that Gal Luft was particularly critical of the Biden administration, accusing the President and his co-horts of serving their own interests and carrying out undemocratic practices. Intelligence Online noted that he was part of a think tank that included several officials and former US spies.
Gal Luft's attorney, Mordechai Tzivin, said that the Biden administration is after the suspected arms dealer because he provided incriminating evidence against Hunter Biden in a corruption case. The latter is reportedly being investigated for tax related crimes. The case has been going on since 2018. Tzivin added:
“The arrest came four years after Luft cooperated with FBI and Department of Justice investigators to help them with information about the case."
Tzivin said that if Luft is allowed to testify, he could ruin Hunter Biden's career. He claimed that in response, the Biden administration is only leveling charges in order to silence him:
“If it were Russia, this would’ve already been a diplomatic collision (...) it's not unreasonable to think that the Democrats or some of their peers would like him gone. His testimony will be very devastating, it will divert attention to the president himself as well."
Tzivin added that the attempted extradition also concerns him, as he does not trust that the US government will keep Luft safe. He claimed that since the President is supposedly after Luft, he could potentially be in physical danger.
Gal Luft's current location remains unknown by the Interpol and US authorities.
