Washington Demands Explanation from Russia Regarding Arrest of American Suspected of Espionage

The U.S. Secretary of State has requested that Russia explain the reason for the arrest of a former Marine in Moscow on espionage charges and if the arrest is unwarranted, he should be released immediately. Russia announced the arrest of an American citizen on espionage charges. The U.S. State Department stated that Jon Huntsman, the U.S. ambassador in Moscow, met with Paul Whelan, the detained citizen, in custody on January 1 and also spoke with his family by phone. A spokesperson for the U.S. State Department said Washington had expressed concern through diplomatic channels regarding the delay in the ambassador's access to the detained citizen. Mike Pompeo, the U.S. Secretary of State, stated on January 1 in Brazil, 'We have clearly told the Russians that we expect them to explain the charges to us, and clarify the nature of these charges; and if the arrest is unwarranted, we demand his immediate release.' The Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) announced on January 1 that it had arrested an American citizen on suspicion of espionage. This arrest occurred three days prior to this announcement, in Moscow, the capital of Russia. At that time, the U.S. State Department announced that it was aware of the arrest and hoped that he would be granted access to consular services. However, it appears that from that time until January 1, the ambassador or U.S. embassy officials in Moscow did not have access to this citizen. The detained individual is named Paul Whelan. He has a history of service in the U.S. military and, according to his brother, traveled to Moscow to attend the wedding of a former colleague. The U.S. military stated that Mr. Whelan had been deployed to Iraq twice, the first time in 2004. Russian officials have not provided details regarding the charges against Paul Whelan; espionage charges can lead to a sentence of 10 to 20 years in prison. The news of the arrest of this American citizen was announced shortly after Vladimir Putin, the President of Russia, stated that Moscow remains ready and willing to engage in dialogue with the United States. The arrest of Paul Whelan also comes three weeks after Maria Butina, a Russian citizen, accepted conspiracy charges against the U.S. as a foreign agent (Russia) in a court in Washington. On the other hand, this has been met with a reaction from Russia; Moscow described the charges against Ms. Butina as 'absolutely unfounded.'