Sudan has released man convicted of assassinating US diplomat John Granville

A Sudanese man who was sentenced to death for the 2008 murder of an American diplomat has been freed, according to his brother, who spoke to Reuters on Monday.

Two years after a deal was negotiated between the Sudanese government and John Granville’s family, Abdelraouf Abuzeid, who was convicted of killing the US envoy, was freed by the nation’s high court, according to his brother.

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Requests for comment from the US State Department were not immediately fulfilled.

As he was being brought home from a New Year’s Eve celebration at the British Embassy in Khartoum on January 1, 2008, Granville was ambushed by gunmen.

Sudanese officials said that Granville was ambushed by two gunmen who pulled up in front of him in their vehicle. Abdel Rahman Abbas, his driver, died at the scene. Granville was struck in the chest and neck by a second shooter. After being transferred to the hospital, he passed away a short while later.