American detained in Russia on spying charges, family says

The American man who was detained in Russia on accusations of being a spy is a retired marine who was visiting Moscow to attend a wedding, according to his family.

In a statement released on Tuesday morning, the family of Paul Whelan said the last time anyone had contact with him was on 28 December, the night before the wedding he was due to attend.

Paul Whelan had been staying with a wedding party for a fellow former Marine at the Metropol hotel in Moscow, said his brother David Whelan, who learned of the arrest on Monday.

“His innocence is undoubted and we trust that his rights will be respected,” Whelan’s family said in a statement released on Twitter on Tuesday.

Russia’s FSB state security service said the American had been detained on Friday, but it gave no details of the nature of his alleged espionage activities. Under Russian law, espionage can carry a prison sentence of between 10 and 20 years.

A U.S. State Department representative said Russia had notified it that a U.S. citizen had been detained and it expected Moscow to provide consular access to see him.

“Russia’s obligations under the Vienna Convention require them to provide consular access. We have requested this access and expect Russian authorities to provide it,” the representative said, without providing details of the identity of the American or the reasons behind his detention.

David Whelan declined to comment on his brother’s work status at the time of his arrest and whether his brother lived in Novi, Michigan, as address records indicate.

Whelan’s family said he had been to Russia “numerous times”, as far back as 2007, and was currently working on a corporate security team for Borg Warner, which is listed online as a Michigan-based maker of automotive industry components.

David Whelan said his brother had previously been to Russia as a visitor and for his work for Kelly Services, a management consultancy.

Daniel Hoffman, a former CIA Moscow station chief, said it is “possible, even likely” that Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered Whelan’s arrest to set up an exchange for Maria Butina, the Russian citizen who pleaded guilty on December 13 to act as an agent tasked with influencing U.S. conservative groups.