Inside UAE, Saudi roles in facilitating release of Brittney Griner
A high-level Gulf source with access to the details of the exchange told Al-Monitor that the exchange happened at a UAE airbase at 5:00 pm Abu Dhabi time (8:00 am ET).
The governments of the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia confirmed on Thursday a joint role in facilitating the prisoner exchange between the United States and Russia, leading to the release of US basketball star Brittney Griner after nearly nine months in detention.
A high-level Gulf source with access to the details of the exchange told Al-Monitor that the exchange took place at a UAE airbase at 5:00 pm Abu Dhabi time (8:00 am ET), with the US plane departing Abu Dhabi at 6:10 pm local time (9:10 am ET).
A U.S. official confirmed on Thursday the UAE role, adding that the operational details came out in the last 48 hours. "In the last 48 hours, as this has all come together, Brittney [Griner] was moved from the penal colony, where she was being held, to Moscow. And this morning, she was brought to the United Arab Emirates, where she was met by U.S. officials," the official said.
In a statement, the UAE and Saudi foreign affairs ministries said the mediation was led by UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed and Saudi Crown Prince Mohamed bin Salman.
