Ex-Top Gun pilot continues fight against extradition
A former US fighter pilot is appealing a decision green-lighting his extradition over allegations he illegally trained Chinese military personnel.
Daniel Duggan was arrested in 2022 by order of the US government at a supermarket in regional NSW, where he lived with his wife Saffrine and their six children.
He has been detained for three and a half years (nearly half in solitary confinement) over allegations that he violated US arms trafficking laws by training Chinese pilots in South Africa between 2010 and 2012.
Duggan denies the allegations and has for years resisted attempts to send him back to the US to face charges; It was last seen in the Federal Court.
However, the former fighter pilot’s appeal against the extradition decision was rejected in April.
Saffrine Duggan announced on Monday that the family had filed an appeal against the Federal Court decision.
“(We) will continue our fight for Dan’s freedom and Australia’s sovereignty,” he said on Instagram.
“This is about my family and all Australians.”
The appeal will be heard by the Full Federal Court at a later date.
Ms Duggan argued that then-attorney-general Mark Dreyfus approved her husband’s extradition to the US despite him being an Australian citizen who “broke no laws” while working in South Africa in 2012.
He said Duggan had no criminal record or history of violence but had been locked up in Australia for years without facing charges.
The former US naval pilot has been held in a maximum security prison in central NSW since his arrest, about 100 kilometers from his family.
Mrs Duggan renewed her call for the government to intervene in her husband’s case as the family prepares for the next stage in their fight against extradition.
“It’s time for Dan to come home,” he said.
Duggan had previously written in a letter from prison that he believed his activities were not illegal and that Australian and US intelligence services were aware of his work.
The years-long legal battle took a financial toll on his family, who estimated his legal bills totaled around $500,000.
While Duggan was denied Legal Aid, an injunction placed on his family’s half-built home means they cannot sell it or live in it.
“Our property has been taken from us and we are financially devastated by our ongoing fight for justice,” Ms Duggan said.
