Daniel Duggan, a former U.S. Marine pilot and naturalized Australian citizen, is embroiled in an extradition battle from Australia to the U.S. on charges related to training Chinese military pilots. His lawyer contends that Duggan unwittingly collaborated with a Chinese hacker, casting doubt on the allegations against him.
Duggan, 55, denies any wrongdoing and has been detained in an Australian maximum-security prison since his arrest in 2022.
Correspondence between Duggan and the Chinese hacker Su Bin was discovered on electronic devices seized from Su Bin, raising questions about their association.
Despite the accusations of espionage, Duggan’s lawyer asserts that there is insufficient evidence to support the extradition request. They argue that Duggan’s Australian citizenship, acquired before the alleged offenses, should preclude his extradition to the U.S.
The extradition hearing, scheduled to take place in a Sydney court this month, marks the culmination of a two-year legal saga.
Duggan’s lawyer contends that the case lacks concrete evidence linking him to criminal activities and challenges the notion of his collaboration with Chinese military pilots.
Duggan’s legal team highlights concerns for his family’s safety, citing alleged overt intelligence contact by U.S. authorities. This purported contact, Duggan’s lawyer claims, prompted him to renounce his U.S. citizenship in 2016, backdated to 2012 on an official certificate.
Despite these assertions, the U.S. government maintains that Duggan did not relinquish his U.S. citizenship until 2016.
The legal proceedings also shed light on the complex web of international relations and espionage allegations involving individuals like Duggan and Su Bin.
