Marine veteran Trevor Reed back in US, one day after Russian prisoner swap
WASHINGTON - Trevor Reed is back in the United States one day after the Marine veteran was swapped for a Russian drug trafficker in a prisoner exchange between Washington and Moscow, his mother tweeted early Thursday morning.
"It's been [a] very exciting day for The Reed family. Trevor is back in the USA," Paula Reed said on Twitter.
In a separate tweet, she wrote that President Joe Biden called the family in the early morning hours as Reed headed back to the U.S.
"We actually said that we believe @POTUS saved @freetrevorreed's life by agreeing to this prisoner swap," Reed's mother tweeted. "We truly mean that!"
"Today, we welcome home Trevor Reed and celebrate his return to the family that missed him dearly. Trevor, a former U.S. Marine, is free from Russian detention," President Biden said in a statement. "I heard in the voices of Trevor’s parents how much they’ve worried about his health and missed his presence. And I was delighted to be able to share with them the good news about Trevor’s freedom."
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In their own statement, the Reed family thanked Biden "for making the decision to bring Trevor home" as well as other administration officials and Bill Richardson, the former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations whom the family said traveled to Moscow in the hours before the Ukraine war began in hopes of securing Reed's release.
"Today, our prayers have been answered and Trevor is safely on his way back to the United States," the statement read, adding that "as soon as he's ready, he'll tell his own story" and that the Reed family stands with "all the other families of wrongfully detained Americans who are still waiting for their own release moment."
Reed was one of several Americans known to be held by Russia, including WNBA star Brittney Griner, who was detained in February after authorities said a search of her bag revealed a cannabis derivative, and Michigan corporate security executive Paul Whelan, who is being held on espionage-related charges his family says are bogus.
"We won’t stop until Paul Whelan and others join Trevor in the loving arms of family and friends," Biden also said Wednesday.
Photographs tweeted from the account of Rep. August Pfluger, a Texas Republican, also showed him standing next to Reed.
His destination was not immediately clear. Reed’s parents live in Granbury, Texas, near Dallas.
Reed was swapped in Turkey on Wednesday for Konstantin Yaroshenko, who had been serving a 20-year prison sentence in a cocaine trafficking conspiracy case.
"I think it’s going to really hit home for him and for us when we finally get to see him and touch him," Reed's father, Joey, said in an interview with The Associated Press on Wednesday.
Joey Reed, the father of former U.S. Marine Trevor Reed, stands next to a placard of his son outside the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC, on July 29, 2021, during a press conference. (Photo by JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images)
Reed, a 30-year-old former Marine, was arrested in the summer of 2019 after Russian authorities said he assaulted an officer while being driven by police to a police station following a night of heavy drinking.
He was later sentenced to nine years in prison. The U.S. government described him as unjustly detained and pressed for his release; his family asserted his innocence and expressed concerns about his deteriorating health — which included coughing up blood and a hunger strike.
U.S. senior administration officials said Wednesday that Reed's health was an "intense concern" and driving factor leading to his release.
The Associated Press and FOX News contributed to this report.