Translated material
"Rosbalt": American Paul Whelan, suspected of espionage, was detained after receiving a secret list of intelligence officers
US citizen Paul Whelan, a suspected spy, was caught red-handed after receiving a flash card with a list of employees of one of the secret agencies. As a source in the intelligence services told Rosbalt, the list of employees is a state secret and has long been of interest to American intelligence agencies.
Whelan himself, according to the agency’s interlocutor, was involved in intelligence activities for about ten years - he met Russians on forums on the Internet under the guise of a person interested in Russian life and culture. After that, he tried to make friends with those who might have information potentially interesting to the American intelligence services.
As a source in the Russian special services told Rosbalt, the operation to detain Paul Whelan took place in his room at the Metropol Hotel.
- Whelan was detained on December 31, but the details of the operation were not officially reported. On January 2, American diplomats were allowed to see him.