A Tijuana judge ordered the release of Andrew Tahmooressi, who was arrested seven months ago after crossing the US-Mexico border with three loaded firearms in his truck.
Since his March 31st arrest, Tahmooressi has maintained that he had meant to head back to San Diego, where he was living with a friend, but took a wrong turn out of a parking lot towards a Tijuana entry point and had no way of turning back.
Mexican border authorities say his car was stopped and inspected because he was missing front license plates.
Border checks have been growing tighter as Mexico struggles to keep the influx of American weapons used by drug cartels at bay. In Mexico, possession of weapons restricted for military use is a federal crime.
The US Marine Sergeant, who had served two combat tours in Afghanistan, suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Because Mexican prisons aren’t equipped to provide cognitive therapy for PTSD, Tahmooressi’s lawyers used his diagnosis as a justification for getting him out of jail on humanitarian grounds.