Justin Trudeau Welcomed The Two Michaels Back To Canada With Hugs At The Calgary Airport
Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor had been detained in China for almost three years.
The two Michaels who were detained in China for over 1,000 days have returned to Canada and they were personally greeted by Justin Trudeau.
According to CBC News, Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor landed at the airport in Calgary just before 8 a.m. ET on September 25 onboard a Royal Canadian Air Force plane. Live video from CTV News showed Trudeau waiting on the tarmac in the darkness of the morning as the two Michaels got out of the aircraft.
The prime minister spoke with the Canadians and other officials for a while before sharing hugs with both Kovrig and Spavor.
Trudeau announced on September 24 that the two men had boarded a plane in China at 7:30 p.m. ET and were on the way home to Canada. "These two men have gone through an unbelievably difficult ordeal," he said.
It is widely believed that they were arbitrarily detained in China in 2018 as retaliation for Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou being arrested in Canada on behalf of authorities in the U.S.
Trudeau's announcement on the two Michaels' release came just hours after Meng reached an agreement with U.S. authorities and an extradition case against her was dropped, according to CBC News.