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Spy suspect 'missing' in Cyprus Spy suspect 'missing' in Cyprus
(about 2 hours later)
Christopher Metsos had been alone at a Cyprus hotel for nearly two weeksChristopher Metsos had been alone at a Cyprus hotel for nearly two weeks
A Russian spy suspect arrested in Cyprus and granted bail has gone missing, police say. One of 11 suspects accused by the US of spying for Russia has gone missing after being freed on bail on Cyprus.
Christopher Metsos was held at the Mediterranean island's Larnaca airport on Tuesday by immigration officers after an Interpol alert. The man, a Canadian, named by police as Christopher Metsos, was due to sign in at a police station in the coastal town of Larnaca but did not show.
He is one of 11 people at the centre of an FBI spying investigation - the others are being questioned in the US. He was held at Larnaca airport on Tuesday as he tried to board a plane to the Budapest, a day after the US said it had held 10 other suspects.
A Canadian citizen, he was awaiting extradition to America on suspicion of espionage and money laundering. Mr Metsos was awaiting a hearing for extradition to the US.
Mr Metsos had been staying alone at a hotel in Larnaca for nearly two weeks and was said by local media to have been carrying a US passport. He had been staying alone at a hotel in Larnaca for nearly two weeks and was said by local media to have been carrying a US passport.
He is depicted by US prosecutors as the alleged spy ring's shadowy moneyman, visiting the US as early as 2004 to deliver bags of cash to its members. 'Sleepers'
The 11 were allegedly part of an operation where agents posed as ordinary citizens, some living together as couples for years. In security circles such agents are known as "illegals" or "sleepers". Aged 54 or 55, he is depicted by US prosecutors as the alleged spy ring's shadowy moneyman, visiting the US as early as 2004 to deliver bags of cash to its members.
They were trained by the SVR Russian intelligence agency to infiltrate policy-making circles and collect information, according to papers filed in New York. Police are to issue an arrest warrant for Mr Metsos, whose bail conditions were that he surrender his travel documents and visit the police station in central Larnaca each day.
Investigators say some of the agents had been using false identities since the early 1990s, using codes and engaging in advanced computer operations, including posting apparently innocent pictures on the internet which contained hidden text. He failed to sign in on Wednesday evening as ordered by the court, police say.
Accused of money laundering, he was released on bail of 26,500 euros (£21,700; $32,500) bail to await an extradition hearing scheduled for 29 July.
"Police went to check his hotel and he could not be located," police spokesman Michalis Katsounotos told news agency AFP.
The 10 suspects held in the US are accused of conspiracy to act as unlawful agents of a foreign government, a crime less serious than espionage but which carries up to five years in prison.
US prosecutors say they posed as ordinary citizens, some living together as couples for years. In security circles such agents are known as "illegals" or "sleepers".
'Tip of iceberg'
They were trained by the SVR Russian intelligence agency to infiltrate policymaking circles and collect information, according to papers filed in New York.
"Anna Chapman" has been painted as the alleged spy ring's femme fatale
Investigators say some of the accused had been using false identities since the early 1990s, using codes and engaging in advanced computer operations, including posting apparently innocent pictures on the internet which contained hidden text.
Russia has said the US charges - which came just days after a US visit by Russian President Dmitry Medvedev - are baseless and a throwback to the Cold War.
Sources in the US say the FBI had to swoop because one of the suspects, reported to be 28-year-old Anna Chapman, had been about to leave for Moscow.
Ms Chapman has been painted as the femme fatale of the alleged spy ring, with several glamorous photos posted on her page on Facebook.
She was reportedly lured to a Manhattan coffee shop by an undercover FBI agent after which, in an intercepted phone call, she was told her cover may have been blown and she should leave the US.
Assistant US Attorney Michael Farbiarz told Associated Press news agency that Ms Chapman was "someone who has extraordinary training, who is a sophisticated agent of Russia".
He said the arrests were "the tip of the iceberg" of the workings of Russia's intelligence agency.
Five of the suspects briefly appeared in a Manhattan federal court on Monday, where a judge ordered them to remain in prison until a preliminary hearing set for 27 July.
These included Ms Chapman, a couple known as Richard Murphy and Cynthia Murphy, who were arrested in Montclair, New Jersey; and Vicky Pelaez and a man known as Juan Lazaro who were arrested in Yonkers, New York state.
Another three - Mikhail Semenko and a couple known as Michael Zottoli and Patricia Mills - appeared in a federal court in Alexandria, Virginia, after being arrested in Arlington, Virginia.
The final two people - a couple known as Donald Howard Heathfield and Tracey Lee Ann Foley - were arrested in Boston, Massachusetts, and appeared in a federal court in the city.