MOSCOW, July 8 (RIA Novosti) – Russia’s Foreign Ministry said Tuesday it sees the detention of Russian citizen Roman Seleznev in the Maldives as an unfriendly move by the United States and called it a de facto kidnapping.
"We consider the incident yet another unfriendly step by Washington. It is not the first time the American side has in effect kidnapped a Russian citizen, ignoring the 1999 Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters Act," the ministry said in a statement published on its website Tuesday.
US authorities accused the 30-year-old Moscow native of hacking into point-of-sale systems at a number of US shops to steal credit card data from customers, the Associated Press reported earlier Tuesday. The investigators claim the Russian citizen installed malware on computers in the shops to obtain the necessary information.
The agency said Roman Seleznev is currently awaiting trial on the US Island of Guam.
The Russian ministry requested that the Maldives' government explain the situation.
"Russian diplomats are making all possible efforts to clarify the circumstances of the detention of Roman Seleznev and to bring him back to the Motherland as soon as possible. We are trying to attain a clear explanation of the incident from US authorities and their strict observance of the rights of a Russian citizen, as well as consulate access to him," the ministry said.
