Russia: US national held on charges of espionage

By Elena Teslova

MOSCOW

Russian security services have apprehended a U.S. national in the capital Moscow on suspicions of espionage, country's state-run news agency TASS reported Monday.

Paul Whelan was detained on Dec.28 "while on a spy mission", TASS said, citing a source in the Federal Security Service, or FSB.

"On December 28, 2018 staff members of the Russian Federal Security Service detained US citizen Paul Whelan in Moscow while on a spy mission," TASS quoted FSB's public relations center as saying.

A criminal investigation was underway.

Espionage charges in Russia entail prison sentences of 10 to 20 years.