ugh
American Convicted of Murder Is Freed by Trump From Venezuela Prison
The Trump administration said it was protecting Americans unjustly held abroad. One of the rescued men, Dahud Hanid Ortiz, killed three people, according to court documents.
By
Julie TurkewitzJosé Bautista and
Frances Robles
Julie Turkewitz reported from Bogotá, Colombia, José Bautista reported from Madrid, and Frances Robles reported from New York.
July 23, 2025Updated 4:21 p.m. ET
Leer en español
When the State Department secured the release of 10 Americans and permanent legal residents from a Venezuela prison last week, Secretary of State Marco Rubio
hailed the action as part of an effort to safeguard the well-being of Americans unjustly held abroad.
But one of the men released from the prison, an American-Venezuelan dual national named Dahud Hanid Ortiz, had been convicted in Venezuela for the
murder of three people in Spain in 2016, according to an official at the prosecutor’s office in Madrid and Venezuelan court records reviewed by The New York Times.
The official asked not to be identified speaking publicly about the case.
Mr. Hanid Ortiz, 54, had served 19 years in the in United States Army, according to military documents, and had been awarded a Purple Heart for injuries received in Iraq. He had multiple deployments and suffered physical and mental injuries as a result of his service, according to the Army. He was later dismissed from the military after pleading guilty to fraud and larceny.