US basketball star being wrongfully detained in Russia, say US officials

Brittney Griner’s agent said she had been detained for 75 days (Ross D Franklin/AP)

The Biden administration has determined that US basketball star Brittney Griner is being wrongfully detained in Russia, meaning the United States will more aggressively work to secure her release even as the legal case against her plays out, two US officials have said.

Griner was detained at a Moscow airport in February after Russian authorities said a search of her bag revealed vape cartridges containing oil derived from cannabis.