Former US Intelligence Officer Says He Was Taken off Plane to St. Petersburg

"I was taken off flight from New York to Istanbul," Scott Ritter said

Former US Marine reconnaissance officer Scott Ritter Elena Afonina/ TASS

NEW YORK, June 3. /TASS/. Former US Marine Corps Intelligence Officer and UN weapons inspector Scott Ritter has told TASS that he was not let board a flight from New York to Istanbul, a stopover on his way to Russia to take part in the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum.

"I was taken off flight from New York to Istanbul. They took my passport and taken my bags off the flight," he said.

He also said that no explanations were given to him. The police, in his words, said only that it was done at the order from the Department of State.

According to Ritter, another US expert, former judge and now Judging Freedom podcast host Andrew Napolitano, will not go to Russia either. However, "he cancelled his trip for completely different reasons," he added.

The St. Petersburg International Economic Forum is set to take place on June 5-8. This year’s event is themed "The Foundations of a Multipolar World - The Formation of New Areas of Growth." The forum is organized by the Roscongress Foundation. TASS is the forum’s information partner.