U.S. citizen and former Marine Paul Whelan has been formally charged by Russian investigative agencies, according to a new report.
Whelan, who was first arrested in Moscow last week on suspicion of spying, has been formally indicted on spying charges, independent Russian news agency Interfax reports. The move comes after Russian lawyer Vladimir Zherebenkov, who is representing Whelan, said that Whelan would be held in Moscow until the end of February.
Whelan was originally in Moscow as part of a personal visit and was first detained on Friday.
“On December 28, staff members of the Russian Federal Security Service detained U.S. citizen Paul Whelan in Moscow while on a spy mission,” the Russian Federal Security Service said in a statement Monday.
The Federal Security Service added that a criminal investigation had been launched examining Whelan’s activities, and the State Department told the Washington Examiner that Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs informed its American counterparts of the arrest. The State Department added that details of the arrest had been withheld over “privacy” concerns.
Whelan could be sentenced to up to 20 years behind bars if he is found guilty of espionage, per state-run Russian news agency TASS.
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