British citizen detained in Russia after being accused of spying

A British citizen who has been detained in Russia and charged with espionage could be facing up to 20 years in prison.

Dual British – US citizen Paul Whelan, 48, was detained by Russia’s FSB state security service in Moscow last Friday.

Foreign secretary Jeremy Hunt said he is “extremely worried” about Whelan, and the foreign office confirmed it has requested consular access to the former US marine after receiving a request for assistance from him yesterday.

Whelan’s family has said he was visiting Moscow for the wedding of a retired Marine and is innocent of the charges against him.

Under Russian law, espionage carries a sentence of between 10 to 20 years.

Whelan’s lawyer, Vladimir Zherebenkov told Reuters that under the terms of the arrest order, Whelan was expected to remain in custody in Moscow until at least 28 February.

“I consider his detention and arrest baseless. It’s based on investigators’ supposition that he will hinder the investigation process. We are asking for bail instead,” Zherebenkov told the news agency.