United States soldier broke army rules before arrest

BEFORE his arrest in Russia, United States soldier Gordon Black not only broke army rules by travelling to the Russian city of Vladivostok without authorisation, but he did so after passing through China, the Pentagon said yesterday.

Details about army staff sergeant Black, 34, started to emerge yesterday of risktaking behaviour before he followed his girlfriend to Russia while he was on personal leave from service. Russia has charged him on suspicion of theft.

Black enlisted in the army as an infantryman in 2008 and had been assigned to Camp Humphreys in South Korea. He was set to return to Fort Cavazos, Texas, but instead ‘‘flew from Incheon, Republic of Korea through China to Vladivostok, Russia, for personal reasons’’, the US Army said in a statement. There was no evidence that he planned to stay in Russia after his personal leave ended. Black’s mother, Melody Jones, told ABC News she had a conversation with him before he left and she ‘‘felt like he was being set up by [his girlfriend]’’.

The army said the Russian interior ministry informed the US embassy in Moscow on Saturday that Black had been arrested in Vladivostok the day earlier for ‘‘theft of personal property’’.

The Russian interior ministry in Vladivostok said a 32yearold woman had filed a complaint against Black.

The two had an argument, and she later filed a police report accusing him of stealing money. He was arrested in a hotel, having bought a plane ticket to return home.