Paul Whelan, ex-US marine, jailed in Russia on spying charges

(FASTNEWS | COLOMBO) – Ex-US marine Paul Whelan has been sentenced to 16 years of hard labour on spying charges in Russia.

He was arrested in a hotel room in Moscow 18 months ago with a USB flash drive which security officers say contained state secrets.

The Moscow City Court found him guilty of receiving classified information.

Whelan – who is also a citizen of the UK, Canada and Ireland – has previously denied the charge and said he thought the drive contained holiday photos.

He denounced the closed trial as a “sham” ahead of the verdict.

The US ambassador to Moscow, John J Sullivan, said the conviction would harm Russia-US relations.

Who is Paul Whelan?

Paul Whelan, 50, is a citizen of four countries – the US, Canada, the UK and the Irish Republic.

From Novi, Michigan, he was born in Canada to British parents and moved to the US as a child.

Military records show he joined the US Marine Reserves in 1994, about six years after he had reportedly begun work as a police officer in Michigan.

He went on two tours to Iraq, in 2004 and then 2006. It was while serving in the marines that he made his first trip to Russia, and went on to visit the country many times.