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| Russia Detains American, Saying He Is C.I.A. Agent | Russia Detains American, Saying He Is C.I.A. Agent |
| (34 minutes later) | |
| MOSCOW — Russia’s Federal Security Service announced Tuesday that it had detained an agent of the Central Intelligence Agency during an attempt to recruit a Russian agent, saying the American had brought a large sum of cash, technical devices and “appearance disguising means.” | MOSCOW — Russia’s Federal Security Service announced Tuesday that it had detained an agent of the Central Intelligence Agency during an attempt to recruit a Russian agent, saying the American had brought a large sum of cash, technical devices and “appearance disguising means.” |
| The F.S.B., the successor to the Soviet-era K.G.B., identified the man as Ryan Christopher Fogle, and said he had been “working under the guise of” third secretary in the political department of the United States embassy in Moscow. It said Mr. Fogle was detained on Monday night, and that he was carrying written instructions for a Russian recruit. | The F.S.B., the successor to the Soviet-era K.G.B., identified the man as Ryan Christopher Fogle, and said he had been “working under the guise of” third secretary in the political department of the United States embassy in Moscow. It said Mr. Fogle was detained on Monday night, and that he was carrying written instructions for a Russian recruit. |
| Russia’s Foreign Ministry has summoned United States Ambassador Michael A. McFaul to appear on Wednesday to respond to the allegation. | Russia’s Foreign Ministry has summoned United States Ambassador Michael A. McFaul to appear on Wednesday to respond to the allegation. |
| Photographs that appeared on Russian news sites on Tuesday afternoon showed a man in a blond wig, blue checked shirt and baseball cap being pinned to the ground, evidently by a Russian officer, and later sitting at a desk in an F.S.B. office, grim-faced. Further images showed a number of items evidently confiscated from him: brown and blond wigs, several pairs of dark glasses, several stacks of 500-euro notes, a compass, a map of Moscow and an embassy ID card identifying him as Ryan C. Fogle. | |
| Russian news sources also featured the text of a letter, allegedly addressed to a recruit, that instructs the recipient to create a Gmail account that will be used for covert contacts. The letter, signed “your friends,” offers $100,000 “to discuss your experience, expertise and cooperation,” with much greater rewards for answering “specific questions.” It goes on to say “we can offer up to $1 million a year for long-term cooperation, with extra bonuses if we receive some helpful information.” Communications were to be addressed to an enigmatic e-mail address, unbacggdA@gmail.com. | |
| “This is a down-payment from someone who is very impressed with your professionalism and who would greatly appreciate your cooperation in the future,” the letter says. “Your security means a lot to us. This is why we chose this way of contacting you.” | “This is a down-payment from someone who is very impressed with your professionalism and who would greatly appreciate your cooperation in the future,” the letter says. “Your security means a lot to us. This is why we chose this way of contacting you.” |
| Mr. Fogle was brought to F.S.B. headquarters and then delivered to officials at the American Embassy, the statement said. The F.S.B. went on to say its counterintelligence service has documented a series of recent attempts by the United States to recruit officers from Russian law enforcement and “special departments.” | Mr. Fogle was brought to F.S.B. headquarters and then delivered to officials at the American Embassy, the statement said. The F.S.B. went on to say its counterintelligence service has documented a series of recent attempts by the United States to recruit officers from Russian law enforcement and “special departments.” |
| The United States Embassy has not made a comment on the report. | The United States Embassy has not made a comment on the report. |
| The charges come as Russian officials express high anxiety about what they describe as Western attempts to undermine political stability here. President Vladimir V. Putin has thrown his support behind new laws aiming to prevent Russian officials from keeping wealth overseas, saying it leaves them dangerously exposed to pressure from foreign governments. And nongovernmental organizations are being forced to brand themselves as “foreign agents'’ if they receive funding from other countries. Mr. Fogle’s arrest, lavishly detailed on Russian television, fell easily into that line of reasoning, though some of its details, like the pile of wigs, left many in Moscow incredulous. | |
| “There is nothing new about it — I’m just surprised that the guy was such an idiot,'’ said Yevgenia M. Albats, author of a 1994 book on the K.G.B. “I am not interested so much in this Christopher Fogle as much as the person he was trying to recruit, and why did he have to do it in such an old-fashioned way? It sounds like the ‘70s.'’ | |
| In 2010, the American authorities arrested 10 people who were part of a Russian spy ring and had been living in the United States for a decade, posing as Americans. The so-called “sleeper” agents had not sent home any classified secrets and were not charged with espionage. Instead, they were sent back to Russia as part of a swap in which the Kremlin released four prisoners who had been jailed for spying, three of whom were serving long sentences. | In 2010, the American authorities arrested 10 people who were part of a Russian spy ring and had been living in the United States for a decade, posing as Americans. The so-called “sleeper” agents had not sent home any classified secrets and were not charged with espionage. Instead, they were sent back to Russia as part of a swap in which the Kremlin released four prisoners who had been jailed for spying, three of whom were serving long sentences. |
| At the time, the Obama White House quickly made clear that it did not envision the episode causing undue strains with Russia. | At the time, the Obama White House quickly made clear that it did not envision the episode causing undue strains with Russia. |
| In recent days, President Obama and Mr. Putin have stepped up cooperation on antiterrorism efforts in response to the bombing of the Boston Marathon. So it seemed likely that this latest espionage arrest similarly would not get in the way of larger bilateral priorities, including plans for the two presidents to meet in Ireland later this month and in Russia later this year. | In recent days, President Obama and Mr. Putin have stepped up cooperation on antiterrorism efforts in response to the bombing of the Boston Marathon. So it seemed likely that this latest espionage arrest similarly would not get in the way of larger bilateral priorities, including plans for the two presidents to meet in Ireland later this month and in Russia later this year. |
| Since being expelled back to Russia at least one member of the suburban spy ring, Anna Chapman, has become a celebrity here, with her own TV show. | Since being expelled back to Russia at least one member of the suburban spy ring, Anna Chapman, has become a celebrity here, with her own TV show. |
| Espionage arrests, though not frequent, have long been an element of diplomatic life in Moscow. In May 2011, Russia expelled Israel’s military attaché in Moscow on suspicion of spying. The attaché, Vadim Leiderman, an air force colonel born in the Soviet Union, was arrested while sitting in a cafe with a Russian and was suspected of managing several local residents as informants. The Israeli Defense Ministry said that it had conducted its own investigation and found the Russian allegations to be baseless. | Espionage arrests, though not frequent, have long been an element of diplomatic life in Moscow. In May 2011, Russia expelled Israel’s military attaché in Moscow on suspicion of spying. The attaché, Vadim Leiderman, an air force colonel born in the Soviet Union, was arrested while sitting in a cafe with a Russian and was suspected of managing several local residents as informants. The Israeli Defense Ministry said that it had conducted its own investigation and found the Russian allegations to be baseless. |
| There have also been notable defections. In October 2000, Sergei Tretyakov, a colonel in the Russian spy service, defected to the United States with his wife and daughter. At the time, he held the title of first secretary of the Russian mission in New York and senior aide to the Russian ambassador to the United Nations, Sergey V. Lavrov. Mr. Lavrov is now Russia’s foreign minister. | There have also been notable defections. In October 2000, Sergei Tretyakov, a colonel in the Russian spy service, defected to the United States with his wife and daughter. At the time, he held the title of first secretary of the Russian mission in New York and senior aide to the Russian ambassador to the United Nations, Sergey V. Lavrov. Mr. Lavrov is now Russia’s foreign minister. |