Britain warned Russia on Friday against playing "diplomatic chess games" after Paul Whelan, a Canadian-born former US Marine with triple UK, US and Irish citizenship, was charged with espionage. Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt said Britain had offered consular access to Whelan, who was detained in Moscow last week, but had not been able to visit him yet.
"We are giving him every support that we can, but we don't agree with individuals being used in diplomatic chess games," Hunt told the BBC in an interview. "It is desperately worrying, not just for the individual but their family, and we are extremely worried about him and his family as we hear this news," he said.
"We need to see what these charges are against him." US ambassador Jon Huntsman visited Whelan at the Lefortovo prison in Moscow on Wednesday. The United States has been cautious in its public comments on the case, with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo saying earlier that Washington was trying to learn more about the situation.
Whelan, 48, was arrested last Friday "while carrying out an act of espionage", according to Russia's FSB domestic security service. The charge carries a maximum jail sentence of 20 years. US news reports painted Whelan as an unlikely spy with a chequered history who most recently worked for the security service of an international auto parts manufacturer. Whelan was court-martialed by the Marine Corps in 2008 on charges of larceny and passing bad checks, The New York Times said, an offence that in most cases disqualifies candidates from foreign intelligence work.
He was arrested while attending an American friend's wedding to a Russian woman at Moscow's upscale Metropol Hotel, according to his twin brother David. His family has denied he is a spy, with his brother calling the possibility "inconceivable". Whelan also holds an Irish passport, although he entered Russia on his American one, an official source told AFP.
The Irish foreign ministry said in a statement that it has "requested consular access to an Irish citizen currently detained in Russia after receiving a request for assistance". Ireland's "Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade will provide all possible and appropriate assistance in relation to this case," it said. The Russian foreign ministry said Whelan was "a British subject" who was also seeking the help of London's embassy in Moscow.
"The British side sent a request for consular visits. It is being worked on," the Russian ministry said. His employer, US-based automotive components supplier BorgWarner, said that he is the firm's director of global security.
Diplomatic relations between Britain and Russia are tense, particularly following the attempted murder of a former Russian spy in Britain last year with a nerve agent. Britain accused Russia of being behind the attack despite Moscow's denials, and coordinated the expulsions of dozens of Russian diplomatic staff around the world.
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