Prof. Gal Luft, an Israeli national wanted by U.S. authorities for arms trafficking charges, has gone missing from Cyprus where he has been residing and his whereabouts remain unknown, Cypriot media reported on Wednesday.
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Local police confirmed on March 28 that he was missing and a day later, his car was found abandoned on the island.
Luft a retired IDF colonel who co-chairs the Washington-based Institute for the Analysis of Global Security was arrested by Cyprus police at Larnaca International Airport last February under a warrant issued by Interpol after he was suspected of weapons trafficking with Lybia and China.
A Cypriote court deliberating a U.S. extradition request instructed him to hand over his passport to authorities and post 400,000 euros as bail before being released from custody. He was also required to register at the Paphos police station weekly but had not done so for the past month, nor has he appeared for three of his trial dates.
Luft has claimed he was being persecuted for political reasons after he revealed to the FBI incriminating evidence on Hunter Biden President Joe Biden's son.
He appealed to the Israeli government for help claiming a conspiracy against him.
"The allegations against me are false," he said. "I never dealt arms or oil, nor have I ever made one dime from such dealings," he said.
The U.S. is trying to bury me to protect Biden and his son," Loft claimed.
Luft's American attorney Robert Henoch said he feared for his client's life. He was recently quoted claiming Luft was being politically persecuted because he tried four years ago, to inform the Department of Justice about business deals made by Hunter and Joe Biden with the Chinese government. Hunter he claimed had received $100,000 in monthly payments from CEFC, a Chinese firm.
Mordechai Tzivin who also represents Luft said he was surprised by the reports in Cyprus. "To the extent that I know Gal Luft, he would never do anything against the law," Tzivlin said. "Regardless of the reports, It is possible that certain American persons or institutions, who fear the information my client possesses, would do all that is in their power – under the law – to prevent him from testifying about what he knows," he said.