Russia’s successor to the KGB, known now as the FSB, on Friday detained an American Marine Veteran, 48 year old Paul N. Whelan, who had been in Moscow to attend the wedding of a fellow Marine. It is believed this action is in retaliation for the arrest in America of a Russian woman, Maria Butina, who pleaded guilty 15 days ago in Washington to conspiring to act as a foreign agent and working with Russian officials to influence American political figures. In the past Russia has arrested Americans with the intent to trade them for Russians held in the United States.
After retiring from the Marine Corps Mr Whelan worked in Detroit for auto parts maker BorgWarner and had been staying with a wedding party at Moscow’s Metropol hotel when he disappeared around 5pm on December 28th. His whereabouts were not known and he has been unable to communicate with anyone since his detention, with the FSB revealing on Monday December 31st that they had arrested him for espionage and that he faces a 20 year prison sentence.
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