US asks Honduras to arrest, extradite ex-President Hernández

By MARLON GONZÁLEZ and CHRISTOPHER SHERMAN
Associated Press

TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras (AP) — The United States has requested the arrest of former President Juan Orlando Hernández for his eventual extradition to the U.S. On Monday afternoon, Honduras’ foreign affairs ministry said via Twitter that it had notified the country’s Supreme Court of Justice that the U.S. Embassy had formally requested the arrest of a Honduran politician for the purposes of extradition. The ministry did not identify the politician. But current Honduran Vice President Salvador Nasralla confirmed to The Associated Press that the request names Hernández. Hernández left office Jan. 27. U.S. prosecutors in New York have repeatedly implicated him in his brother’s 2019 drug trafficking trial, alleging that his political rise was fueled by drug profits. Hernández strongly denied any such activities.