Honduras ex-leader Hernández arrested at US request

Police arrested former Honduras President Juan Orlando Hernández at his home Tuesday, a step toward fulfilling a request by the United States government for his extradition on drug trafficking and weapons charges.

The arrest came shortly after a Honduran judge signed an arrest order and less than three weeks after Hernández left office. It follows years of allegations by U.S. prosecutors of the Honduran leader's alleged links to drug traffickers. Hernández took office on Jan. 27, 2014. He used a friendly Supreme Court to overcome Honduras' constitutional ban on re-election and won a second term in 2017 in elections marred by irregularities.