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The Trump administration secured on Sunday the release of an American missionary held in Tunisia for over a year.
Missionary Robert Vieira was released after being detained on allegations of espionage 13 months ago.
“We appreciate the government of Tunisia’s decision to resolve this case and allow Mr. Vieira to reunite with his family after more than 13 months of pre-trial detention,” U.S. special envoy Adam Boehler said.
According to Reuters, Boehler stated that he collaborated extensively with Tunisian Foreign Minister Mohamed Ali Nafti to secure the detainee’s release.
Prior to Vieira’s release, the Trump administration had previously worked to free at least 26 additional American hostages.
Last week, dual-citizen ballerina Ksenia Karelina returned to the U.S. on Thursday after being held in Russia for more than a year. The Trump administration secured Karelina’s release in a prison exchange for German-Russian Arthur Petrov, who was arrested in Cyprus in 2023.
“Today, President Trump brought home another wrongfully detained American from Russia,” CIA director John Ratcliffe said. “I’m proud of the CIA officers who worked tirelessly to support this effort, and we appreciate the Government of U.A.E. for enabling the exchange.”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio also addressed the woman’s release in a post to X.
“American Ksenia Karelina is on a plane back home to the United States. She was wrongfully detained by Russia for over a year and President Trump secured her release. @POTUS will continue to work for the release of ALL Americans,” he wrote early Thursday.
Among other Americans freed since Trump’s return to the White House, Trump also secured the return of Marc Fogel in February, an American history teacher who had been held in Russia since 2021.
The release of Fogel was described as the result of a negotiation by Special Envoy Steve Witkoff.
“Today, President Donald J. Trump and his Special Envoy Steve Witkoff are able to announce that Mr. Witkoff is leaving Russian airspace with Marc Fogel, an American who was detained by Russia,” National Security Advisor Mike Waltz said in February.
“President Trump, Steve Witkoff and the President’s advisors negotiated an exchange that serves as a show of good faith from the Russians and a sign we are moving in the right direction to end the brutal and terrible war in Ukraine,” he added.
