A man who says he is the brother of U.S. citizen Paul Whelan — who was arrested in Moscow last week on suspicion of spying — is proclaiming his brother’s innocence and providing more detail to an opaque case.
On Tuesday, David Whelan tweeted a family statement, saying Paul Whelan was in Moscow to attend a wedding and that the family grew concerned after not hearing from the retired U.S. Marine on Friday, “which was very much out of character for him even when he was traveling.”
Three days passed before they learned of his arrest from media reports on Monday, the family statement said, adding they have been in touch with their congressional representatives, the U.S. Embassy and the State Department.
“We are deeply concerned for his safety and well-being,” the family said. “His innocence is undoubted and we trust that his rights will be respected.”
Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) said in a brief statement Monday that Whelan was arrested while on a “spy mission” and that an investigation is ongoing.
“We are aware of the detention of a U.S. citizen by Russian authorities,” a State Department spokesperson told NPR in a statement emailed on Monday.
“Russia’s obligations under the Vienna Convention require them to provide consular access,” the statement said. “We have requested this access and expect Russian authorities to provide it.”
Whelan’s family told the Post that a representative from the U.S. government would visit him within a three-day window.
American citizens are routinely recruited to gather information for us when on vacations to opposition nations.
I’m sure Mueller will get right on that.