Paul Whelan, the former U.S. Marine and Michigan auto parts executive arrested in Moscow last week on espionage charges, is actually a dual U.S.-British citizen, The Guardian reported Thursday evening. "Our staff have requested consular access to a British man detained in Russia after receiving a request for assistance from him," the U.K. Foreign Office said in a statement. Whelan's family said the 48-year-old was in Russia for the wedding of a fellow ex-Marine, but Russia accuses him of "carrying out an act of espionage," and he reportedly faces up to 20 years in prison.
Whelan's lawyer and U.S. Ambassador Jon Huntsman both visited Whelan at Lefortovo prison on Wednesday. The lawyer, Vladimir Zherebenkov, said Whelan has applied for release on bail and is in a "very hopeful" mood. Hunstman said he's complained to Russian officials about the delay in granting Whelan consular access. Russia's Rosbalt news agency said Whelan was arrested soon after taking possession of a USB drive containing a classified list of names.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Can AI tools be used to Hollywood's advantage?Talking Points It makes some aspects of the industry faster and cheaper. It will also put many people in the entertainment world out of work
-
'Paraguay has found itself in a key position'Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Meet Youngmi Mayer, the renegade comedian whose frank new memoir is a blitzkrieg to the genreThe Week Recommends 'I'm Laughing Because I'm Crying' details a biracial life on the margins, with humor as salving grace
-
DOJ demands changes at 'abhorrent' Atlanta jailSpeed Read Georgia's Fulton County Jail subjects inmates to 'unconstitutional' conditions, the 16-month investigation found
-
China tries to bury deadly car attackSpeed Read An SUV drove into a crowd of people in Zhuhai, killing and injuring dozens — but news of the attack has been censored
-
Menendez brothers may go free in LA prosecutor planSpeed Read Prosecutors are asking for the brothers to be resentenced for the 1989 murder of their parents
-
Abercrombie ex-CEO charged with sex crimesSpeed Read Mike Jeffries ran the brand during its heyday from 1992 to 2014
-
Trump criminal trial starts with rulings, reminderSpeed Read The first day of his historic trial over hush money payments was mostly focused on jury selection
-
Parents of school shooter sentenced to 10-15 yearsSpeed Read Jennifer and James Crumbley are the first parents to be convicted in a US mass shooting
-
Unlicensed dealers and black market gunsSpeed Read 68,000 illegally trafficked guns were sold in a five year period, said ATF
-
Bankman-Fried gets 25 years for fraudSpeed Read Former "crypto king" Sam Bankman-Fried will report to federal prison
