News Alert: American accused by Russia of spying was handed ‘state secret’ on a flash drive, his Russian lawyer says

Paul Whelan, a former U.S. Marine, was given a flash drive containing a "state secret," his lawyer said Tuesday. "But how he got it, what he was supposed to do with it, and whether Whelan knew that he had secret information is unknown," Vladimir Zherebenkov told reporters in a Moscow court, where Whelan was attending a closed-door, pre-trial hearing. Whelan, 48, who also holds British, Canadian and Irish citizenship, was detained by Russian security services in late December, during what his family said was a personal trip to the Russian capital.

Democracy Dies in Darkness     News Alert Jan 22, 6:34 AM     American accused by Russia of spying was handed 'state secret' on a flash drive, his Russian lawyer says Paul Whelan, a former U.S. Marine, was given a flash drive containing a "state secret," his lawyer said Tuesday. "But how he got it, what he was supposed to do with it, and whether Whelan knew that he had secret information is unknown," Vladimir Zherebenkov told reporters in a Moscow court, where Whelan was attending a closed-door, pre-trial hearing. Whelan, 48, who also holds British, Canadian and Irish citizenship, was detained by Russian security services in late December, during what his family said was a personal trip to the Russian capital. Read more » Advertisement You received this email because you signed up for news alerts from The Washington Post. Manage my newsletters and alerts | Unsubscribe Privacy Policy | Help ©2019 The Washington Post, 1301 K St NW, Washington DC 20071