Gal Luft

{{Short description|American-Israeli author}}

{{Infobox scientist

| name = Gal Luft

| native_name = גל לופט

| native_name_lang = he

| image = Gal Luft at Web Summit 2017 - Day 1 DG2 2535 (26463452429) (cropped).jpg

| alt = Luft at the Web Summit 2017 at Altice Arena in Lisbon, Portugal

| birth_date = {{birth date and age |1966|5|26}}

| birth_place = Haifa, Israel

| death_date =

| death_place =

| nationality = Israeli American

| education = Bar-Ilan University (BA)
Tel Aviv University (MA)
Johns Hopkins University (PhD)

| thesis_title = The Cultural Dimension of Multinational Military Cooperation

| thesis_url = https://catalyst.library.jhu.edu/permalink/01JHU_INST/1lu78g9/alma991025649559707861

| thesis_year = 2003

| doctoral_advisor = Eliot A. Cohen

}}

Gal Luft ({{Langx|he|גל לופט}}; born May 26, 1966) is an Israeli-American think-tank director, author and alleged foreign agent. Luft was a lieutenant colonel in the Israel Defense Forces and is the executive director of the Institute for the Analysis of Global Security and cofounder of the Set America Free Coalition.{{cite news|last=Heffernan|first=Tim|date=19 Nov 2007|title=Four Ways to Solve the Energy Crisis|url=https://www.esquire.com/news-politics/a3951/galluft1207/|work=Esquire|location=|access-date=11 July 2023|archive-date=23 May 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230523010711/https://www.esquire.com/news-politics/a3951/galluft1207/|url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=https://www.jhuapl.edu/colloquium/Archive/Detail?colloqid=107|title=Colloquium Speaker: Gal Luft|last=|first=|date=28 January 2005|website=|publisher=Johns Hopkins University|access-date=11 July 2023|quote=He holds degrees in international relations, international economics, Middle East studies and strategic studies and a doctorate in strategic studies from the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS), Johns Hopkins University|archive-date=17 October 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211017194011/https://www.jhuapl.edu/colloquium/Archive/Detail?colloqid=107|url-status=live}}

Luft was arrested in Cyprus on February 17, 2023, on a warrant issued by Interpol on U.S. charges of weapons trafficking. After being released on bail, he went missing on March 28; he subsequently fled and went into hiding.{{cite web|url=https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-732050|title=Israeli professor arrested on suspicion of arms trafficking to China, Libya|newspaper=The Jerusalem Post|language=en|url-status=live|date=February 19, 2023|access-date=July 11, 2023|archive-date=July 11, 2023|archive-url=https://archive.today/20230711074657/https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-732050}}{{cite news|last=Meyer|first=Josh|date=10 July 2023|title=US says missing GOP whistleblower is arms trafficker, Chinese agent|url=https://news.yahoo.com/us-charges-alleged-gop-whistleblower-012348790.html|work=USA Today|location=|access-date=11 July 2023|archive-date=19 July 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230719124835/https://news.yahoo.com/us-charges-alleged-gop-whistleblower-012348790.html|url-status=live}}{{cite web |title=Israeli professor wanted in the US for weapons trafficking goes missing in Cyprus |url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/israeli-professor-wanted-in-the-us-for-weapons-trafficking-goes-missing-in-cyprus/ |access-date=17 July 2023 |website=The Times of Israel |archive-date=23 May 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230523001106/https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/israeli-professor-wanted-in-the-us-for-weapons-trafficking-goes-missing-in-cyprus/ |url-status=live }}{{cite web |last1=Marathovouniotis |first1=Stelios |title=Internationally-wanted Israeli professor flees Cyprus while on pretrial release |url=https://in-cyprus.philenews.com/news/local/internationally-wanted-israeli-professor-flees-cyprus-while-on-pretrial-release/ |access-date=17 July 2023 |website=Cyprus Weekly |date=19 April 2023 |archive-date=1 June 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230601124630/https://in-cyprus.philenews.com/news/local/internationally-wanted-israeli-professor-flees-cyprus-while-on-pretrial-release/ |url-status=live }} On July 10, 2023, the US Justice Department unsealed the indictment for this arrest, dated November 2022, accusing Luft of eight charges including acting as an unregistered foreign agent of Chinese entities under the US Foreign Agents Registration Act and violating trade sanctions against Iran.{{cite news |last1=Kane |first1=Paul |date=July 11, 2023 |title=Republicans say they would like to call witness despite criminal indictment |newspaper=The Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2023/07/11/gop-witness-gal-luft/}}{{cite web |title=U.S. Attorney Announces Charges Against Co-Director Of Think Tank For Acting As An Unregistered Foreign Agent, Trafficking In Arms, Violating U.S. Sanctions Against Iran, And Making False Statements To Federal Agents |url=https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdny/pr/us-attorney-announces-charges-against-co-director-think-tank-acting-unregistered |access-date=17 July 2023 |website=U.S. Department of Justice |date=10 July 2023 |publisher=U.S. Attorney's Office: Southern District of New York |archive-date=11 July 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230711003223/https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdny/pr/us-attorney-announces-charges-against-co-director-think-tank-acting-unregistered |url-status=live }} Among the indictment's allegations is that Luft, at the behest of Chinese entities, recruited and paid an unnamed adviser to then-president-elect Donald Trump to adopt pro-Chinese positions.{{Cite news |last=Aaron |first=Blake |date=July 15, 2023 |title=Indictment paints tale of Chinese interests and 2016 Trump campaign |newspaper=The Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2023/07/15/indictment-paints-tale-chinese-interests-2016-trump-campaign/ |access-date=July 18, 2023}}{{cite web|url=https://www.voanews.com/a/us-charges-think-tank-leader-with-working-on-behalf-of-china/7175497.html|title=US Charges Think Tank Leader With Working on Behalf of China|publisher=Voice of America|language=en-US|url-status=live|last=Farivar|first=Masood|date=July 10, 2023|access-date=July 11, 2023|archive-date=July 11, 2023|archive-url=https://archive.today/20230711172322/https://www.voanews.com/a/us-charges-think-tank-leader-with-working-on-behalf-of-china/7175497.html}}{{cite news|last=Matza|first=Max|date=10 July 2023|title=US think tank founder charged with acting as Chinese agent|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-66160979|publisher=BBC News|location=|access-date=11 July 2023|archive-date=11 July 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230711022707/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-66160979|url-status=live}}

In July 2023, Luft said he had made allegations of corruption by US president Joe Biden's son, Hunter Biden to the FBI and US Justice Department. These allegations were made in March 2019 involving improper financial arrangements with the Chinese energy company CEFC. He further said the criminal charges against him were politically motivated reprisals for his allegations.{{cite news|last=Lee|first=Ella|date=10 July 2023|title=Think tank leader who claims to have given FBI info on Hunter Biden charged by Justice Department|url=https://thehill.com/regulation/court-battles/4089907-think-tank-leader-who-claims-to-have-given-fbi-info-on-hunter-biden-charged-by-justice-department/|work=The Hill|location=|access-date=11 July 2023|archive-date=11 July 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230711015404/https://thehill.com/regulation/court-battles/4089907-think-tank-leader-who-claims-to-have-given-fbi-info-on-hunter-biden-charged-by-justice-department/|url-status=live}}{{cite news|last=Cohen|first=Luc|date=11 July 2023|title=Head of US think tank charged with acting as Chinese agent|url=https://www.reuters.com/world/us/head-us-think-tank-charged-with-acting-chinese-agent-2023-07-10/|work=Reuters|location=|access-date=11 July 2023|archive-date=11 July 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230711002725/https://www.reuters.com/world/us/head-us-think-tank-charged-with-acting-chinese-agent-2023-07-10/|url-status=live}} In September 2024, federal prosecutors stated that Luft was re-arrested and will be extradited to the United States.{{Cite news |last=Cohen |first=Luc |date=9 September 2024 |title=Head of US think tank to be extradited on China agent charges |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/head-us-think-tank-be-extradited-china-agent-charges-2024-09-09/ |access-date=9 September 2024 |work=Reuters}}