The FSB released a brief statement saying that Whelan had been taken into custody after essentially being caught red-handed in the process of spying,\u2026<\/b>
\nThe FSB released a brief statement saying that Whelan had been taken into custody after essentially being caught red-handed in the process of spying, saying that the suspect was detained \u201cduring an act of espionage\u201d under article 276 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation.
Representatives say that the U. S. has requested access to Whelan under the Vienna Convention.
\u201cWe are aware of the detention of a U. S. citizen by Russian authorities,\u201d a representative for the State Department said.
\u201cRussia\u2019s obligations under the Vienna Convention require them to provide consular access. We have requested this access and expect Russian authorities to provide it.\u201d
Neither the State Department nor the FSB provided any additional details, citing privacy concerns.
Whelan\u2019s arrest comes as tensions simmer between Russia and the United States as election hacking and the influence of American elections and leaders continues to draw headlines.
One case, in particular, that of Maria Butina, has raised eyebrows after it was discovered that the Russian woman schemed to build a relationship between the 2016 Trump campaign and the Russian government. Butina worked with her boyfriend, GOP fundraiser Paul Erickson, to create what she calls \u201cunofficial channels of communication\u201d to strengthen ties between the two countries.
Butina allegedly cultivated relationships with NRA members, even going so far as to host gun rights advocates in Moscow in 2015.
She wrote to Russian handler Alexander Torshin that \u201cwe should let them express their gratitude now, we will put pressure on them quietly later.\u201d
Maria Butina has pleaded guilty to being part of a conspiracy to infiltrate and manipulate American democracy. Butina admitted today she was a Russian agent who used the NRA. Americans need to know: Who at the NRA knew Butina\u2019s agenda, and what did they get in return?
\u2014 Ron Wyden (@RonWyden) December 13,2018
Butina pleaded guilty in federal court earlier this month after being arrested over the summer. She will likely face six months in prison and deportation. The Russian government has campaigned around Butina, denying that she was working for Moscow and organizing social media efforts to secure her release.
A few weeks prior to Whelan\u2019s arrest last week, Russian President Vladimir V. Putin said that the country believed in the law of retaliation, though there is no evidence that his statement and Whelan\u2019s arrest are related.
\u201cThe law of retaliation states, \u2018An eye for an eye or a tooth for a tooth,’\u201d he said in his annual year-end address, adding, \u201cwe will not arrest innocent people simply to exchange them for someone else later on.\u201d<\/p>\n