Brittney Griner Lands in Texas

She'll meet wife, undergo checks at Brooke Army Medical Center
By Arden Dier,  Newser Staff
Posted Dec 9, 2022 5:56 AM CST
Brittney Griner Lands in Texas
In this image made from video provided by Russian Federal Security Service, WNBA star and two-time Olympic gold medalist Brittney Griner sits in the plane as she flies to Abu Dhabi to be exchanged for Russian citizen Viktor Bout, in Russia, Friday, Dec. 9, 2022.   (Russian Federal Security Service via AP)

Brittney Griner is back in the US. The WNBA star released from Russian custody as part of a prisoner swap was seen stepping off a plane that landed at Kelly Field in San Antonio, Texas, around 5:30am Friday, CNN reports. That arrival followed the exchange in Abu Dhabi, mediated with help from the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia. Griner and Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout were seen crossing on the tarmac there, per the BBC. Bout, who was "warmly greeted by two Russian officials," was later shown hugging his mother and wife at a Moscow airport. His wife, Alma Bout, said he had been "treated very nobly" in the US, per the New York Times.

Griner's wife, Cherelle Griner, was expected to meet her in San Antonio. Before heading home to Houston, Griner will be taken to Brooke Army Medical Center on Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston, which "treats both civilians and military personnel who have survived torture or other trauma," the Times reports. Trevor Reed, a former Marine from Texas, was also taken to the center after he was freed from a Russian prison in a prisoner swap in April. Griner’s current condition after 10 months of captivity is unclear. When she does return home to Houston, she will be met with a light show, Mayor Sylvester Turner said, per the BBC. (More Brittney Griner stories.)

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