According to a news source in San Diego, a Mexican federal judge ordered the immediate release of US Marine, Andrew Tahmooressi.
Andrew Tahmooressi was on trial for crossing the border with ammunition and three loaded weapon on March 31. The Mexican Attorney General’s Office agreed to cease its prosecution of Tahmooressi and allow him to return to the United States.
The agreement brings to a close a high-profile case that has resounded far beyond the border. In the United States, it has prompted calls for his release from politicians, veterans groups, conservative talk show hosts. But for months there had been an impasse, as Mexican federal prosecutors insisted that the case be resolved through the courts — not through diplomatic or political pressure.
Tahmooressi, 26, claims that he drove into Tijuana by mistake on a Monday night after taking a wrong turn near the Mexican border in San Ysidro. He recently had moved from Florida to San Diego, and says that he was driving out of a parking lot, intending to head north. But instead he drove into the El Chaparral Port of Entry, where Mexican customs inspectors examined his pickup truck and found more 400 rounds of ammunition and three loaded firearms: a 45-caliber pistol, a 12-gauge shotgun and a 5.56mm assault rifle.
Shortly before his incarceration, Tahmooressi was diagnosed with PTSD and began receiving treatment. When previous attempts for his release failed, Tahmooressi’s Mexican defense attorney pressed forward using PTSD as a means for humanitarian release. According to UT San Diego:
Benítez, his Tijuana defense attorney, used a range of tactics to win his release. He initially pressed for dismissal of the case on the grounds that his client’s rights were allegedly violated when he was held at the El Chaparral Port of Entry for hours without the presence of an attorney or a translator.
But in recent weeks, the attorney focused on Tahmooressi’s PTSD in an attempt to win him a humanitarian release. Key testimony came from a prosecution witness, Dr. Alberto Pinzón Picaseño. The Mexico City psychiatrist interviewed Tahmooressi and concluded that he suffers from a condition that has him feeling in constant danger, recommending treatment “by specialized persons in his country of origin.”
Rep. Matt Salmon (AZ-05) released the following statement upon receiving the news:
“I am truly overjoyed to hear the news that our Marine Sgt. Tahmooressi is finally coming home to America.“During my last visit with Andrew in a Mexican prison, I told him the next time I saw him would be during his release to America; I am grateful that I will be able to keep that promise and be with him and Mrs. Tahmooressi as he returns to the United States tonight.“Andrew is a brave Marine who served his country with honor, and I have long maintained that he has been held in a Mexican prison for far too long, and needed to be returned to the United States to receive proper treatment for the PTSD that he suffers from as a direct result of his heroic service to our nation.“While I am disappointed that his release did not take place much sooner, I am thankful to Mexican Attorney General Jesús Murillo Karam for displaying compassion for Sergeant Tahmooressi’s medical condition.”I want to thank former New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson for all his tireless efforts in aiding Andrew’s release. Likewise, I want to recognize the support from many of my colleagues, including House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Ed Royce, for all they did to bring our Marine home.“Finally, I want to thank all Americans who have been keeping Andrew in their thoughts and prayers during this difficult time for him and his family. I heard from many of you these past six months and your support was instrumental to his release.“We wish Andrew a safe and happy return to the United States.”
You can watch a news report about Tahmooressi here (embedding disabled.)
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