Six Americans were released from jail in Venezuela over the weekend. One is a former West Virginia resident whose father, in Charleston, is celebrating the news.
“Not knowing what the circumstances were was horrendous,” said Steve Logan, a former teacher and a resident of Charleston. “Not knowing his welfare, or where he was even, even being held captive. Oh, it was terrible.”
Aaron Logan, 34, attended Elkview Middle School, Randolph Macon Academy in Virginia, went to West Virginia University then transferred to Marshall University where he graduated in 2013 with a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice with minors in German and Integrated Science and Technology. He was working as a network security expert for a U.S. bank when he was captured in Venezuela in September.
The government there – which doesn’t have diplomatic relations with this country – said Logan and other detained Americans were linked to plots to destabilize the country.
The New York Times reports Venezuela’s controversial President Nicolas Maduro has detained a slew of foreign prisoners in recent months and quotes experts who say he hopes to use them to negotiate with the United States and others.
Steve Logan reached out to anyone he thought could help. He credits Sen. Shelley Moore Capito with offering crucial assistance including contacting the U.S. embassy in Bogota, Colombia, which borders Venezuela and has contacts there.
“They didn’t know where he was located, or they didn’t know anything about his welfare, but they assured me that they now had taken my concerns about my son all the way to both houses of Congress, the United States Congress and to the White House,” Logan said.
At the time, Logan said, he was told not to talk to the press.
“And I asked, ‘Why? Why not?’ And they said, ‘Because the more publicity he gets, the more valuable he becomes as a pawn in negotiations for his release. Maybe they were concerned that if Aaron became too valuable upon that [the Venezuelan government] would be trying to say, ‘Nope, we’re not releasing unless you lower sanctions.’”
The release was arranged by President Donald Trump through an envoy sent to Venezuela to discuss release of the Americans being held and to get Venezuela to take back deported migrants who’ve committed crimes in the U.S.
Logan said he is grateful and credits Trump with obtaining the release of his son and others he says were treated horrifically.
“He didn’t want to talk about the torture, but he was tortured. He said that they punched him in the face. They had bashed in his ribs and he didn’t want to pursue it. At this point, I understood, so I didn’t press him,” Logan said.
Aaron Logan, and the other former captives, were examined by a medic on the plane once they were en route back to the U.S., and spoke by phone to Trump, thanking him for arranging their release.
Now, Steve Logan said, his son begins the task of putting his life back together. It’s not clear if any of his belongings from his apartment in Utah are still available. Belongings he had in Venezuela are gone.
When he arrived at Andrews Air Force Base, his older brother, who lives in Maryland, arranged for an Uber to bring him to their home.
“He didn’t have any money. He didn’t have a credit card. He didn’t have a cell phone. They took everything away from him, and he was just dressed in prison garb,” Logan said. “Over the weekend, they went out and bought him a cell phone and they bought him some street clothes and professional clothes.”
He may need those new clothes to find a new job, his father said. When he didn’t show up for work for seven days back in September, his employment was terminated.
