Happy New Year 2025

Tag: Freed

Trump so far has freed 11 hostages in his first month as president; Biden released around 70 in four years

President Donald Trump’s administration has secured the release of 11 U.S. hostages held by foreign governments since taking office less than one month ago, according to the White House.

The Trump administration has emphasized arranging the release of U.S. hostages under his second administration and welcomed U.S. Marc Fogel, a U.S. history teacher who had been detained in Russia since 2021, back to the U.S. Tuesday.

Other hostages released since Trump’s inauguration include six Americans detained in Venezuela, two Americans detained in Belarus and Israeli-American citizen Keith Siegel, who was held hostage by Palestinian militant group Hamas. There are at least two living American citizen hostages believed to be held in Gaza.

By comparison, former President Joe Biden said in 2024 his White House secured the release of more than 70 hostages during his four years in office, according to an August 2024 statement. Fox News Digital didn’t find any available data to compare numbers from Biden’s first month in office.

ISRAELI PRESIDENT CALLS TRUMP A ‘TRUE FRIEND’ ON INAUGURATION DAY, PRAISES HIS WORK TO RELEASE HOSTAGES

Released American schoolteacher Marc Fogel reacts during a Feb. 11, 2025, event held by President Donald Trump to welcome back Fogel, who had been held in Russia since 2021. (Kevin Lamarque/Reuters)

There were 46 American nationals known to be held captive in 16 different countries in 2024, according to the nonprofit Foley Foundation, which advocates for U.S. hostages and was named after James Foley, a U.S. journalist kidnapped while reporting in Syria in 2012 and killed by ISIS in 2014. That number is now likely closer to the low 30s after the recent releases of hostages in January and February.

On Tuesday, Trump met with Fogel, who was arrested in August 2021 at a Russian airport for possessing drugs and was slated to serve a 14-year sentence. Fogel’s family said the drugs he had on him were medically prescribed marijuana.

“I want you to know that I am not a hero in this at all,” Fogel said Tuesday after meeting Trump. “And President Trump is a hero.

FREED ISRAELI HOSTAGE SPEAKS OUT FOR FIRST TIME

“These men that came from the diplomatic service are heroes,” Fogel said. “The senators and representatives that passed legislation in my honor — they got me home — they are heroes.”

Following Foley’s return and after announcing the release of another, unnamed hostage held in Belarus Wednesday, Special Envoy for Hostage Affairs Adam Boehler said Trump “has made bringing Americans home a top priority, and people respond to that.”

The names of most of the hostages released in February have not been publicly shared.

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital about which hostages the U.S. was planning to release next.

American-Israeli citizen Keith Siegel has released a video message heaping praise on President Donald Trump after he was freed from captivity by the terrorist group Hamas two weeks ago. (Omar el Qattaa/AFP via Getty Images; Joe Raedle/Getty Images )

Just before Trump’s inauguration Jan. 20, both the Biden administration and the incoming Trump administration coordinated to secure a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas, which included provisions to release dozens of hostages on both sides.

Biden and Trump separately boasted about their individual efforts to secure the deal, and State Department spokesman Matthew Miller described the Trump administration’s involvement as “critical” to getting the deal over the finish line.

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Trump also touted his administration’s involvement in a social media post Jan. 15, claiming it occurred “as a result of our Historic Victory in November, as it signaled to the entire World that my Administration would seek Peace and negotiate deals to ensure the safety of all Americans, and our Allies.”

Although Biden said the two teams had been “speaking as one team” during the negotiations, he also mocked suggestions that Trump was responsible for securing the ceasefire deal.

Former President Joe Biden and President Donald Trump both took credit for their role in securing the ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas. (Getty Images)

“Who in the history books gets credit for this, Mr. President, you or Trump?” Fox News’ Jacqui Heinrich asked Biden Jan. 15 after a White House news conference.

ISRAEL RELEASES 90 PALESTINIAN PRISONERS AS PART OF CEASEFIRE DEAL TO FREE HOSTAGES

“Is that a joke?” Biden said.

When Heinrich said it was not, Biden replied, “Oh. Thank you.”

The Associated Press and Fox News’ Emma Colton and Landon Mion contributed to this report.

Diana Stancy is a politics reporter with Fox News Digital covering the White House.

February 14, 2025
Super Bowl champion Dana Stubblefield freed from prison after rape conviction gets overturned

Super Bowl champion and former San Francisco 49ers star Dana Stubblefield was released from prison Tuesday after his 2020 rape conviction was vacated by a California appeals court.

Stubblefield, who is Black, had his conviction overturned after the Sixth Court of Appeals determined prosecutors had made racially discriminatory statements during his trial.

The Sixth Court of Appeals found that the prosecutor violated California’s Racial Justice Act of 2020, which was passed during the summer of racial injustice after the police killing George Floyd.

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San Francisco 49ers defensive tackle Dana Stubblefield before a game against the Minnesota Vikings at Candlestick Park. (USA Today Sports)

Prosecutors said during the trial that police had never searched Stubblefield’s house and had never introduced a gun into evidence, saying it was because he was a famous Black man, and it would “open up a storm of controversy,” according to the appeals court’s decision.

The court said that by determining that Stubblefield’s race had been a factor in law enforcement’s decision to forgo searching his house, prosecutors had implied that the house would have been searched and that a gun would not have been found had Stubblefield not been Black.

Stubblefield has remained in prison since December because a lower court judge said he didn’t have the jurisdiction to grant bail or release.

Stubblefield’s release was granted after the state attorney general’s office and appeals office weighed in.

Santa Clara Superior Court Judge Hector Ramon granted Stubblefield’s release Friday.

CALIFORNIA APPEALS COURT OVERTURNS SUPER BOWL CHAMP’S RAPE CONVICTION DUE TO RACIAL DISCRIMINATION

Former NFL football player Dana Stubblefield leaves a federal courthouse in San Francisco Jan. 18, 2008. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu, File)

Stubblefield had served nearly four years of his 15-year sentence.

“Finally, an innocent man is no longer sitting in a cage away from his family,” Stubblefield’s defense attorney, Kenneth Rosenfeld, said in a statement.

Stubblefield was sentenced to 15 years to life in prison in October 2020, when he was convicted of raping a developmentally disabled woman in 2015 who prosecutors said he lured to his home with a promise of a babysitting job.

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Defense attorneys argued no rape occurred and that Stubblefield said the woman consented to sex in exchange for money.

Stubblefield played in the NFL for 11 years and was named defensive rookie of the year with the 49ers in 1993.

Oakland Raiders defensive tackle Dana Stubblefield during a game against the Cleveland Browns at Cleveland Browns Stadium in Cleveland Oct. 12, 2003. (Matthew Emmons/USA Today Sports)

The three-time Pro Bowler was named defensive player of the year in 1997 after recording 15 sacks.

After five seasons with the 49ers, Stubblefield played for the Washington Redskins for three seasons before rejoining the 49ers for two more seasons.

After his second stint with the 49ers, Stubblefield played one season for the Oakland Raiders before retiring after the 2003 season.

Fox News’ Ryan Gaydos and the Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Ryan Canfield is a digital production assistant for Fox News Digital.

February 13, 2025
Rubio says American Marc Fogel freed from Russia due to ‘strength’ of Trump

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Tuesday that Marc Fogel, an American who had been detained in Russia since 2021, was released because the U.S. has a “strong president” in President Donald Trump.

Rubio made the comments during an appearance on Fox News’ “Hannity.”

“We have a great team here … but none of this is possible without President Trump,” Rubio said. “This is the 10th American that has come home after being detained somewhere overseas in just three weeks. And for the White House, it’s an extraordinary achievement. This is what happens when you have a strong president.”

“Look, anytime an American comes home, we should be excited about it. This is a case that languished under the Biden administration, they really didn’t give it priority. And so tonight is really a happy occasion. It should be for all Americans, but certainly for Mr. Fogel and his family,” he continued.

FREED AMERICAN HOSTAGE MARC FOGEL LANDS IN US AFTER YEARS IN RUSSIAN CAPTIVITY

U.S. President Donald Trump welcomes Marc Fogel back to the United States after being released from Russian custody, at the White House on February 11, 2025, in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)

Fogel, a history teacher who was working at the Anglo-American School in Moscow, returned to the U.S. after his release from Russia following talks with the Trump administration.

He was serving a 14-year sentence after his arrest in August 2021 at a Russian airport for possession of drugs, which his family said was medically prescribed marijuana.

After his arrival in the U.S., Fogel, from Pennsylvania, met with Trump at the White House and called him a “hero” for securing his release. His family, in a statement, also thanked Trump for his “unwavering leadership” that helped free Fogel.

When asked by reporters on Tuesday whether the U.S. had given up anything in return for Fogel, Trump replied “not much” without offering additional details.

MOTHER OF FREED AMERICAN HOSTAGE MARC FOGEL THANKS PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: ‘HE KEPT HIS PROMISE’

Marc Fogel, an American schoolteacher detained in Russia since August 2021, gestures on an airplane flying him back to the United States after U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff secured his release on February 11, 2025. (Adam Boehler/Handout via REUTERS )

Rubio stressed the importance of having a strong leader as president when handling sensitive matters with other leaders around the world.

“We have a strong president, I think people forget how important that is,” Rubio told host Sean Hannity. “At the end of the day, we are dealing all over the world with strong leaders. We may not like them or what they do, but these are strong leaders that respect strength. And that’s what we have with Donald Trump in the White House. And, he also made this a campaign priority. So, I think you’re beginning to see the fruits of what happened. We were led by a strong president who does what he says he’s going to do and doesn’t just give it lip service.”

He also suggested that with Trump in office, the U.S. government could achieve other foreign policy goals, including ending the Russia-Ukraine war and the Israel-Hamas war, which is now under a ceasefire.

U.S. President Donald Trump greets released American schoolteacher Marc Fogel, who had been held in Russia since 2021, at the White House in Washington, D.C., February 11, 2025. (REUTERS/Nathan Howard)

“I think that the reason why this might be linked to so many other things over time is because of that strength,” the secretary said. “When you have a president that’s strong, like Donald Trump, you’re going to have a chance to achieve things, whether it’s in Ukraine and ending that war, whether it’s some of the conflicts that we’re now seeing in the Middle East or anywhere in the world, because they know he’s not playing around.”

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“He says he’s going to do it, and then he does it,” Rubio added. “And this is not some president that wastes a lot of time talking about things that he’s never going to do or doesn’t mean to do. If he says he’s going to do something, he’ll do it. And these leaders know it. And so, and hopefully, they’ll bear fruit in a bunch of places beyond just what we’re seeing tonight.”

February 12, 2025
Freed American hostage Marc Fogel lands in US after prisoner swap with Russia

Marc Fogel, an American who had been detained in Russia since 2021, landed back in the U.S. on Tuesday.

Fogel, a history teacher who was working at the Anglo-American School in Moscow, returned to the U.S. after his release from Russia following talks with the Trump administration.

He was serving a 14-year sentence after his arrest in August 2021 at a Russian airport for possession of drugs, which his family said was medically prescribed marijuana.

Marc Fogel, a Pennsylvania history teacher who was working at the Anglo-American School in Moscow, returned to U.S. soil Tuesday night, after Russia, where he had been detained since 2021, released him following talks with Trump administration officials. (The White House via X)

Fogel was seen in a picture posted by the White House on social media smiling and raising his fist while wrapped in an American flag as he walked off the plane on U.S. soil.

“MARC FOGEL IS BACK!!! PROMISES MADE, PROMISES KEPT!!!” the White House wrote on X.

February 12, 2025
Freed Israeli hostage speaks out for first time, says she has ‘returned to my life’ following Hamas captivity

One of the three Israeli hostages released by Hamas is speaking out after spending nearly 500 days in captivity, saying that she has “returned to my life.”

In a post on Instagram, Emily Damari, 28, also wrote, “Thank you, thank you, thank you, I’m the happiest in the world just to be.”

Damari is a dual Israeli-British citizen who lost two fingers during Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel, the Associated Press reported, citing authorities. She was said to be in stable condition on Sunday after being freed from the Gaza Strip.

“Yesterday, I was finally able to give Emily the hug that I have been dreaming of,” her mother Mandy Damari also said Monday in a statement released by the Hostage and Missing Families Forum, which has been advocating for the release of the captives.

ISRAEL RELEASES 90 PALESTINIAN PRISONERS AS PART OF CEASE-FIRE DEAL TO FREE HOSTAGES

Emily Damari, right, and her mother Mandy are seen together after Emily was released from captivity by Hamas militants in Gaza on Sunday, Jan. 19, 2025. (AP/Israeli Army)

“I am relieved to report that after her release, Emily is doing much better than any of us could ever have anticipated,” her mother continued. “In Emily’s own words, she is the happiest girl in the world; she has her life back.”

Mandy Damari described her daughter’s release as an “incredibly happy moment for our family” but said “we must also remember that 94 other hostages still remain.”

“The ceasefire must continue and every last hostage must be returned to their families,” she added.

ISRAEL, HAMAS CEASE-FIRE DEAL COULD ENABLE REARMING OF GAZA TERRORISTS

Former hostage Emily Damari and her mother Mandy hold a video call with Emily’s brother Tom Damari on Sunday, Jan. 19, after she was released from Hamas captivity.

“As wonderful as it is to see Emily’s resilience, these are still early days. As you will have seen yesterday, Emily lost two of the fingers on her left hand,” Mandy Damari also said. “She now needs time with her loved ones and her doctors as she begins her road to recovery.”

Damari was one of three hostages released by Hamas on Sunday as part of a cease-fire agreement.

In exchange, Israel released 90 Palestinian prisoners in the West Bank.

Romi Gonen, right, and her mother Merav hold each other near kibbutz Reim in southern Israel after Romi was released from captivity by Hamas militants in Gaza. (AP/Israeli Army)

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The other two Israeli hostages that were freed were identified as Doron Steinbrecher, 31, and Romi Gonen, 24.

Greg Norman is a reporter at Fox News Digital.

January 23, 2025