US Ambassador to Russia Jon Huntsman visited Paul Whelan, an American retired Marine who has been detained in Moscow on suspicion of espionage, a State Department spokesperson said Wednesday.
“Ambassador Huntsman visited Mr. Paul Whelan today in the Lefortovo Detention Facility,” the spokesperson said, as quoted by The Hill newspaper. “Ambassador Huntsman expressed his support for Mr. Whelan and offered the Embassy’s assistance.”
Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) officers took Whelan into custody in the Russian capital on December 28 during a spying action, according to an FSB statement. The investigation is ongoing in the criminal case.
According to David Whelan, his brother departed for Moscow on December 22 to attend a wedding ceremony for his fellow ex-Marine and a Russian woman.