The brother of a U.S. citizen arrested in Russia on espionage charges said Tuesday he’s innocent and was in Moscow to attend a wedding.
Paul Whelan, a retired marine, was arrested in Moscow on Friday. The Russian Federal Security Service, in announcing the arrest three days later, said Whelan was caught “during an espionage operation,” but gave no details.
Paul’s twin brother, David Whelan, who lives in Newmarket, Ont., told CBC News the allegations don’t ring true to him.
“He has a background in law enforcement and is a marine and travels regularly … he’s not the sort of person who stumbles into a strange environment or makes poor choices that could cause him risks,” David Whelan said.
David Whelan says his family has been in contact with U.S. Embassy officials, but there is little information about the status of his brother. (Talia Ricci/CBC)
He would not comment on why he thought Russia had taken his brother into custody.
“I think it’s too complicated to come up with a simple answer. I think there are many reasons and it could be completely arbitrary. Our goal is to get him home,” Whelan said.
No contact with family
David Whelan said his family has been in contact with U.S. Embassy officials, but there is little information on his brother’s status until a 72-hour blackout period lapses and they can have access to him.
He said the family intends to contact U.S. officials in Paul’s home state of Michigan.
David Whelan also said his brother, an American citizen, previously held Canadian citizenship, but he was unaware whether his brother remains a citizen of Canada. He said the family has not been contacted by the Canadian government.
Paul Whelan, centre, was born in Ottawa but in the 1970s moved to the United States, where he has lived ever since. (Submitted by David Whelan)
Paul Whelan was born in Ottawa in 1970, but moved to the United States in the early ’70s and has lived there since, his brother said.
In a statement posted to David Whelan’s Twitter account, the family said they were worried about Paul.
“We are deeply concerned for his safety and well-being,” the statement said.
My brother was detained by the Russian government on Friday as an alleged spy. While the law library + info focus will remain, you may see an increase in off-message topics until we get him safely home. <a href=”https://t.co/2HIF1UmS1b”>pic.twitter.com/2HIF1UmS1b</a>
—@davidpwhelan
“His innocence is undoubted and we trust that his rights will be respected.”
It said the family last heard from Paul on Friday, “which was very much out of character for him, even when he was travelling.”
The Russian spying charges carry a prison sentence of up to 20 years.
Strained U.S.-Russia relations
The U.S. State Department said Monday it had received formal notification from the Russian Foreign Ministry of the arrest and was pushing for consular access. The department did not identify Whelan at the time or provide any information about the case, citing “privacy considerations.”
The arrest comes as U.S.-Russian ties are severely strained, in part over Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election.
A Russian gun-rights activist, Maria Butina, is in U.S. custody after admitting she acted as a secret agent for the Kremlin in trying to infiltrate conservative U.S. political groups as Donald Trump was seeking the presidency.
She pleaded guilty in December to a conspiracy charge as part of a deal with federal prosecutors.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has claimed the case is fabricated and Butina entered the guilty plea because of the threat of a long prison sentence.