Honduran police surround house of ex-president after US seeks extradition

Gulf Today Report

Scores of Honduran police officers on Monday surrounded the house of former president Juan Orlando Hernandez after the United States asked the government to arrest and extradite Washington's key erstwhile ally in the region.

Speculation has been swirling for months that the United States was planning to extradite Hernandez when he left office amid accusations that he colluded with drug traffickers. Leftist leader Xiomara Castro replaced him as president last month.

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Meanwhile, the United States has asked Honduras to extradite former president Juan Orlando Hernandez who is suspected of drug trafficking, a Honduran official who declined to be named told AFP on Monday.

The official added that Hernandez, who left office last month, is currently in Honduras as police special forces could be seen encircling his residence in the capital Tegucigalpa on Monday evening.

Members of the police special forces arrive at the home of former Honduran President in Tegucigalpa. AFP

Washington's request for extradition represents a major about-face by the US government, which saw Hernandez as a vital ally in the volatile Central America region during his eight years in power.

The United States had already placed Hernandez on a blacklist, and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken this month said there were credible reports Hernandez "has engaged in significant corruption by committing or facilitating acts of corruption and narco-trafficking".

News channel CNN broadcast images of the document, which made a "formal request for provisional arrest for the purpose of extradition to the United States of America of Juan Orlando Hernandez Alvarado."

Honduran police officers surround the house of ex-president Juan Orlando Hernandez in Tegucigalpa. Reuters

Last week, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Hernandez was included on a list last year of people accused of corruption or undermining democracy in El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras.

"The United States is advancing transparency and accountability in Central America by making public visa restrictions against Honduras' former president, Juan Orlando Hernandez, on account of corrupt actions," Blinken said on Twitter on February 7. "No one is above the law."

Hernandez could not be immediately reached for comment but he has always denied any links to drug traffickers.

A Reuters witness outside Hernandez's house said about 100 police officers were waiting outside.