American arrested after rioting in Moscow hotel
In Moscow, a U.S. citizen is arrested for allegedly behaving aggressively in a hotel and using profanity. At the police station, the man is said to have struck a policewoman. He now faces criminal charges, which could play into the Kremlin's hands.
Russian security services have detained a U.S. citizen in Moscow on suspicion of assaulting a policewoman. The man was earlier reported to have behaved aggressively at a hotel and used "non-standard lexicon," or profanity, according to the Interfax news agency. He ignored police orders to change his behavior and was eventually arrested. At the police station, he allegedly struck a policewoman, a police spokesman said.
In addition to disorderly conduct, the American faces charges of assaulting a representative of the state. Authorities identified the man as a 1978-born individual who did not present the registration card issued upon his entry into the country.
Earlier this month, several Americans were released from Russian prisons in a large-scale prisoner swap in exchange for Russian agents held in the West. Russia has a reputation for repeatedly sentencing U.S. citizens to long prison terms as bargaining chips to exchange for detained countrymen abroad.
Difficult Decision
Following the prisoner swap, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz emphasized that the government had not taken the decision to expel the so-called Tiergarten murderer lightly. "This difficult decision was made jointly by the affected ministries and the coalition after careful consideration and weighing of the pros and cons," said the SPD politician.
He spoke of a duty to protect German citizens and stressed solidarity with the U.S. Scholz said, "No one took this decision lightly, to deport a murderer sentenced to life imprisonment after only a few years in prison."
The arrested American is now being handled by Russian authorities, who have charged him with assaulting a policewoman in addition to disorderly conduct. This incident could potentially be used as a bargaining chip by Russia, given its history of using U.S. citizens as leverage in exchange for detained countrymen abroad.
In light of the recent prisoner swap, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz acknowledged the gravity of the decision to expel the convicted murderer from Germany, stating that it was made after thorough deliberation and consideration of various factors.
