The chief of a prestigious US think tank has been taken into custody on charges of acting as a Chinese agent and engaging in illicit arms and oil transactions.
Gal Luft, a 57-year-old joint US and Israeli citizen, is accused of covertly recruiting and financially compensating a former US official to publicly endorse specific Chinese policies, according to federal prosecutors.
Luft serves as the co-director of the Institute for the Analysis of Global Security, a research institution focused on energy and US security located outside of Washington DC.
The institute, co-founded by Luft and advised by former CIA Director James Woolsey, states its mission on its website.
It is alleged that Luft attempted to broker arms deals involving buyers from China, Libya, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and Kenya.
Although an associated Twitter account in Luft’s name has denied his involvement in arms dealing, prosecutors in Manhattan have declared him a fugitive.
In 2016, he supposedly neglected to register as a foreign agent while working to advance Chinese interests within the United States.
One of Luft’s purported actions involved lobbying an ex-US official, who advised then President-elect Donald Trump, in an effort to persuade him to publicly support China-related policies. It is claimed that he drafted comments on behalf of this unnamed official, which were subsequently published in Chinese media and distributed to American universities.
Prosecutors have also accused Luft of attempting to facilitate arms sales without the required US permits. It is alleged that he aided Chinese companies in selling anti-tank launchers, grenade launchers, and mortar rounds to Libya. Furthermore, he purportedly sought to sell aerial bombs and rockets to the UAE, as well as “strike” drones to Kenya.
Additionally, federal officials assert that Luft endeavored to bypass US sanctions on Iranian oil by instructing an associate to falsely declare it as Brazilian oil.
According to prosecutors, Luft was arrested in Cyprus on February 17 of this year on US charges, but absconded after being granted bail while awaiting extradition.
On the following day, a Twitter account bearing his name and boasting 15,000 followers announced his arrest in Cyprus, attributing it to a politically motivated extradition request by the US.
Luft faces a total of eight charges, including failure to register as a foreign agent, evasion of oil sanctions, two counts of providing false statements to investigators, and three counts of illicit arms trafficking. If convicted, he could face several decades in prison.
Via Firstpost World Latest News https://ift.tt/QwmuhKF
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