Before Paul Whelan was detained in Moscow and accused of spying, he was given a thumb drive that he thought held photos of Russian churches but actually contained “state secrets,” his lawyer said Tuesday. And Whelan didn’t even look at the drive, according to the lawyer, because he was taken into custody immediately.
Whelan, 48, was detained Dec. 28 and is being held in Moscow’s Lefortovo prison. He faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted of espionage.
As NPR’s Greg Myre has reported, Russian news agency Rosbalt reported earlier this month that Whelan had met with a Russian citizen at the historic Metropol Hotel near the Kremlin: “The Russian reportedly gave Whelan a flash drive listing all the employees of a Russian security agency. Moments later, Russian authorities arrested Whelan.”
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