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Retired British businessman Christopher Tappin speaks to waiting media next to his wife Elaine before presenting himself at Heathrow police station in London on Feb. 24, 2012 to be extradited to the U.S. to face a charge of conspiring to sell missile parts to Iran. The 65 year-old denies attempting to sell batteries for surface-to-air missiles which were to be shipped from the U.S. to Tehran via the Netherlands.
A retired British businessman is to appear in a federal court on Tuesday in El Paso after being extradited last week on charges that he tried to sell missile batteries to Iran in 2006.
Christopher Tappin turned himself in Friday after fighting extradition from the United Kingdom for two years. Two other men were sentenced in 2007 to 20 and 24 months in federal prison for their roles in the scheme.
Tappin, 65, faces charges over allegations that he offered in 2006 to sell specialized batteries for Hawk missiles for $25,000 to undercover American agents posing as Iranians.
UK suspect in Iran missile plot to be sent to US
The 65-year-old Tappin was denied a final appeal of his extradition last month and delivered to El Paso by federal marshals. His deportation sparked a debate in the U.K. over whether British and American citizens are treated equally under the two countries' extradition treaty.
Tappin faces up to 35 years in jail if convicted in the United
Dan Cogdell, Tappin's attorney in Texas, said he plans to aggressively push to have Tappin granted bail.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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We can extradite a foreign national to prosecute an illegal arms sale to terrorist, yet we can not arrest anyone connected to the illegal arms sale that the Obama administration did with the Mexican Drug Lords.
No wonder the world does not trust us. If you think that the Obama administration is clean on this, then you are showing how low your intelligence really is.
If they really just made a mistake, then they are even more dangerous. It would mean that they are the least intelligent administration in history.
He was smuggling batteries? Batteries?
Guidance systems I might believe, but batteries. What is so special about the batteries. Correct voltage and current and any battery would do.
Since I believe about 1% of what I read, I'll have to say this too sounds fishy.
And still waiting for Eric Holder to answer to arming Mexican drug gangs with US military grade hardware. I don't think I should hold my breath.
hadenough-345906 #1.1,
You've got to be joking. Batteries = launchers for the missiles, NOT electrical batteries.
Texans can handle this. Instead of "get a rope", they call out "get a Doc and a syringe and a mediocre bottle of whiskey, unless someone is volunteering to buy the good stuff", "hey this guy isn't accused of arson is he?!
Just shoot the MF between the eyes the rotten SOB
How come Iran has Hawk Missiles anyway?,Did we sell them the missiles?,how smart is that.
Ummmm, of course he was the victim of a sting operation. From Wikipedia:
Great statement Captain Obvious. Maybe give a better statement about your innocence next time?
You guys are disgusting. You have no idea or the significance of this case. He is a 65 year old man, with no criminal conviction in his life. The US has not had to put forward a single piece of evidence and he has been extradited. You have got to consider whether that is fair. If the UK wanted to charge a US citizen and take a matter to court, we would have to present 'probable cause' before your administration would sign an extradition. The UK and the US are very close and there is so much mutual respect and friendship. This however is totally wrong and I think the comments on this thread are disgusting.
Us Americans do not care what you think UnkownUK. Most of us are ready to tell the world to fend for themselves. And yes, England really is our only real ally in Europe. We will always protect your country, but France and the rest can stick it where the sun does not shine. FTW,FTW,FTW.
The gun sales to Mexican drug lords actually started in 2006. I think that was a different administration. It is unfortunate that it evolved into more during this one. There needs to be closer oversight of the agencies involved.
And to people like mgo, there are some of us who do care about our international standing. You can remain an ostrich with your head in the sand but world events go beyond your partisanship.