Russian fighter suspected of terrorism to be tried in US

A Russian prisoner suspected of terrorism will be brought to the U.S. for trial from the facility in Afghanistan where he has long been held, The Washington Post reported Thursday afternoon.

It is the first time that an individual captured on the battlefield in Afghanistan — and held at Bagram Airfield — will be brought to the United States to face charges. The Post reports that the administration has considered the move for months, and was influenced by the reluctance of the Russian government to take custody of the prisoner.

{mosads}There is a congressionally imposed ban on the transfer of prisoners from the detention facility in Guantanamo Bay, largely to block efforts by the White House to shut down that facility. But there is no ban on moving prisoners from Afghanistan.

While it is unclear what charges the prisoner will face in the U.S., he is suspected of leading attacks in 2009 that injured or killed American forces. He goes by the pseudonym Irek Hamidullah.