Moscow (CNN)Paul Whelan, the US citizen accused of spying in Russia, was found in possession of classified material when he was arrested in Moscow, his state-appointed lawyer told CNN on Tuesday.
Whelan, 48, was arrested in Moscow on December 28 on suspicion of carrying out an act of espionage, Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) has said. He was found with “evidence that constitutes state secrets” when he was detained, his lawyer Vladimir Zherebenkov told CNN before a pretrial hearing in Moscow Tuesday.
Before his arrest, Whelan had been given a thumb drive which he believed contained vacation photographs, Zherebenkov said. Whelan did not inspect the the flash drive before his detention and was not aware it contained classified information, the lawyer said. Whelan “does not admit guilt,” he said.
