Demand that the American citizens, illegally detained in a Guinea, West Africa prison, be released and sent home immediately

Since December 29, 2025, two American pilots have been illegally detained in a Guinea, West Africa prison. The pilots were dragged off their plane after making a scheduled fuel stop in Conakry, the nation’s capital. According to flight logs and radio recordings, air traffic control had granted the pilots permission to land. What came next should not be tolerated.

Moments after landing, approximately 100 armed soldiers surrounded the plane with automatic rifles and armored vehicles. The pilots, who do not speak French, were forcibly removed from the plane and taken into custody. Guinea’s government accused the American pilots of entering national airspace and landing without authorization. Recorded ATC communications show clearance was given to the pilots and they had explicit permission to land in the country.

More than six weeks later, both pilots remain prisoners abroad. Guinea’s prisons are described as harsh dangerous conditions, including lack of electricity and running water, severe overcrowding, and inmates rotating sleep due to limited space. Three civilian judges have ruled the pilots committed no crime, and an appellate court has ordered their release yet the military has refused. The multi-million dollar U.S. registered Gulfstream IV jet remains seized by the Guinean government.

Pilot Fabio Espinal Nunez (from New Jersey) and Pilot Bradley Scott Schlenker (from Illinois) remain in a Guinea prison to this day. We urge U.S. officials, including President Trump, to bring the pilots home and to send the Guinean government a message: Wrongfully detaining American citizens will not be tolerated.