Russia Grants Consular Access to Detained US Citizen

"Russia has granted consular access to Whelan," the diplomat told TASS on Wednesday.

State Secretary Mike Pompeo said the US demands the immediate return of the detained Paul Whelan and seeks an explanation of why he was arrested.

He added that Washington hopes to gain consular access to the detained US citizen over the next few hours, Sputnik reported.

Reporting about the Whelan's arrest, the Russian Security Service (FSB) announced that a criminal case under the article "espionage" had been initiated against him.

Commenting on the issue, the Russian foreign ministry stated that the US Embassy had been notified of the detention of its citizen in accordance with consular convention. It was also confirmed by a representative of the US State Department, who said that the Russian foreign ministry has officially notified Washington of the detention of an American citizen in Moscow.

Paul's twin brother David Whelan claimed that he was not guilty and stated that he travelled to Moscow to attend a wedding ceremony, CNN reported.

According to The Washington Post, Paul Whelan joined the ranks of the US Marine Corps in 1994, in 2008 he was dismissed for misbehaviour, after being convicted of several counts of larceny.

The article, according to which the criminal case was initiated, allows for punishment in the form of imprisonment for a term of 10 to 20 years.

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