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The camera captured the moment NBA Basketball player Brittney Griner and convicted arms dealer Viktor Bout arrested exchange U.S. and Russian officials at an airport in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, on Thursday, Dec. 8.
Video released by Zvezda, which is run by the Russian Ministry of Defense, shows Griner and Bout being escorted to the exchange point. There was a brief exchange between the American and Russian parties before they each parted ways with their respective citizens.
The exchange takes place at Al Bateen Executive Airport in Abu Dhabi.
Russia’s Customs Service detained Griner at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo International Airport in February, claiming she was in possession of vaping cartridges containing cannabis oil. She was sentenced to nine years in prison in August and sent to a penal colony in western Russia after losing her appeal.
Bout, a convicted international arms dealer, is serving 25 years in an Illinois prison.
Griner’s wife, Cherelle Griner, thanks Members of the U.S. government who helped secure the swap. She also paid tribute to retired Marine Paul Whelan, who was held in Russia for four years on espionage charges. Image credit: Zvezda via Storyful
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