US asks Honduras to arrest, extradite ex-President Hernández

By MARLON GONZÁLEZ and CHRISTOPHER SHERMAN
Associated Press

TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras (AP) — The United States has formally requested the arrest and extradition of former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández on drug and weapons charges less than three weeks after he left office. It follows years of speculation about his alleged links to drug traffickers. Honduran security forces surrounded Hernández’s neighborhood Monday night and the Supreme Court of Justice met Tuesday to select a judge to handle the extradition request. In a video released by Hernández’s legal team, attorney Félix Ávila said no arrest warrant had yet been issued. But National Congress Vice President Rasel Tomé said Hernández had to turn himself in or he’d be arrested.