A former fighter pilot being held in a maximum security prison on FBI orders is “a shadow of his former self,” his wife claimed.
Daniel Edmund Duggan, 54, has been held at the Metropolitan Remand and Reception Center in Sydney’s Western Suburbs since his arrest last October.
Duggan was arrested at the request of the FBI in Orange, in central New South Wales, where he had lived with his family since he renounced his US citizenship.
US authorities are seeking to extradite the former US Marine pilot on suspicion of violating money laundering and arms export control laws more than a decade ago.
It is alleged that between 2010 and 2012 he trained Chinese fighter pilots to land fighter jets on aircraft carriers through a flight academy in South Africa.
Daniel Edmund Duggan, 54, has been held at the Metropolitan Remand and Reception Center in Sydney’s Western Suburbs since his arrest last October. He is depicted with wife Saffron
Mr Duggan has repeatedly denied the allegations and insists he is innocent.
His wife, Saffron Duggan, said the couple remain determined to fight the “injustice” of the extradition order.
“I was shocked when I saw Dan recently. He’s a shadow of himself,’ she said.
“They’re trying to break it and they should be ashamed.
“Daniel is being held in a 2 x 4 meter cell, without any previous or current conviction in conditions normally reserved for the most violent criminals.
Daniel Duggan formally ran Top Gun Tasmania, a flight training school in Tasmania before moving to Orange
“This is unprecedented and an affront to the Australian rule of law and manipulation of the Australian justice system by the United States at the expense of Australian taxpayers.”
Speaking to reporters in January, Mr Duggan’s lawyer, Dennis Miralis, claimed his client was a pawn in a “politically motivated” prosecution.
“It seems doubtful to us that this indictment came at a time when the US government was engaged in a geopolitical battle with China and was seeking to use criminal law to further US foreign policy,” he said.
In January, a Sydney court heard that Attorney General Mark Dreyfus had accepted an extradition request for Mr Duggan last month.
Mr Miralis stated that his client would continue to challenge the extradition order, noting that it “would be vigorously defended every step of the way”.
Speaking to reporters in January, Mr Duggan’s lawyer, Dennis Miralis, claimed his client was a pawn in a ‘politically motivated’ prosecution
Mr Duggan’s arrest on 21 October 2022 coincided with warnings from Australian authorities about the practice of former military pilots being offered lucrative contracts to train foreign pilots.
In November, Secretary of Defense Richard Marles ordered his department to review laws governing the behavior of retired military personnel.
The move came amid reports that former members of the ADF have been approached to provide training to China.
In January, a Sydney court heard that Attorney General Mark Dreyfus had accepted an extradition request for Mr Duggan last month.
Ms Duggan has described the father’s continued detention of her six children as ‘inhumane’ and an ‘insult’ to Australia’s sovereignty.
The retired pilot served in the US Marine Corps for more than a decade before moving to Australia and becoming a citizen in 2012.
She has asked the United Nations Human Rights Commission to intervene, arguing that the harsh conditions of his detention violate the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
“We desperately seek continued support and ask people to respectfully demand that our government protect and defend the rule of law, due process and Australian sovereignty,” she said.
A petition started by Ms Duggan calling for her husband’s immediate release has garnered nearly 10,000 signatures.
The retired pilot served in the US Marine Corps for more than a decade before moving to Australia and becoming a citizen in 2012.
He has spent 128 days in custody since his arrest.
