Ex-US soldier extradited from Ukraine to face charges in Florida double murder case

A former U.S. soldier, Craig Austin Lang, has been brought back from Ukraine to face charges for a double murder in Florida and other crimes. Lang, 34, is accused of committing the double murder, armed robbery, and identity theft. The U.S. Department of Justice called Lang's actions an "international crime spree" that showed a lack of care for human life. Lang was supposed to appear in court in Fort Myers to answer the charges. Lang and another person, Alex Jared Zwiefelhofer, met in Ukraine in 2017. They claimed to be part of a volunteer group fighting against Russian separatists. They also planned to go to Kenya to fight terrorists. However, they were stopped by authorities when they tried to enter South Sudan and were sent back to the U.S. They reunited in Florida in 2018 and allegedly committed crimes to fund a trip to Venezuela to fight against the government there. Lang faces charges in three states: Florida, North Carolina, and Arizona. He was extradited from Ukraine after the European Court of Human Rights rejected his challenge. Lang is accused of using someone's identity to get a passport in North Carolina and trying to get a Mexican visa in Arizona using a U.S. passport. Lang's actions were described as shocking by the U.S. Department of Justice. Lang and Zwiefelhofer were detained in Kenya in 2017 and sent back to the U.S. In Florida, they allegedly killed a couple to steal money for guns. They had discussed their plans in Facebook Messenger conversations. Zwiefelhofer has been convicted in the Florida case and is waiting for sentencing. Lang's whereabouts were traced to Colombia and Ukraine after leaving the U.S. in 2018.