The family of Paul Whelan, a US citizen detained in Russia on spying allegations, believe that he is not guilty, claiming he came to Moscow to attend a wedding ceremony, CNN reported, citing Paul's twin brother David Whelan.
According to David, on December 22, Paul, a retired marine who served several tours in Iraq, set off on a trip to Moscow to attend a friend's wedding — another former marine. However, Paul didn't attend the event, prompting his friend to send him a message, but no response was received.
READ MORE: Russia Formally Notifies US of Detention of American Citizen — State Dept.
This comes after Russia's FSB announced on Monday that it had detained an American citizen and ex-marine, who is suspected of espionage, adding that a criminal case against the person had been opened. The article, according to which a criminal case was initiated, provides for punishment in the form of imprisonment for a term of 10 to 20 years.
Following Mr Whelan's detention, a US State Department official announced that Russia had officially confirmed that it had arrested an American citizen.