North Korea could murder U.S. Marine vet in Spain, U.S Judge warns nbcnews.com

Former United States Marine Christopher Philip Ahn stands in front of the North Korean embassy in Madrid from video surveillance footage on Feb. 22, 2019. Via Nbcnews

A federal judge has ruled that a U.S. Marine veteran who participated in a 2019 raid on the North Korean embassy in Madrid is eligible for extradition to face trial in Spain. But in the same ruling, the judge said she hopes a higher court intervenes because she fears North Korea might kill the man if he leaves the U.S.

The unusual decision is the latest turn in the case of Christopher Ahn, who has claimed that he entered the embassy in a bid to help North Koreans who wanted to defect.

“In part because of his participation in the embassy incident, North Korea wants to kill Ahn,” U.S. Magistrate Judge Jean Rosenbluth wrote in her ruling.

“I must decide whether to certify his extradition to Spain, where North Korea can much more easily murder him. Although I conclude that the law requires me to certify, I do not think it’s the right result, and I hope that a higher court will either tell me I’m wrong or itself block the extradition.”

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