American held in Moscow for spying is also British, Irish

MOSCOW (AP) — The American former Marine who is being held in Moscow on spying charges also holds British and Irish citizenship, officials said today, and Britain's foreign secretary charged that Russia is trying to use him as a pawn in its geopolitical games.

Both those countries have asked that their diplomats be allowed to visit Paul Whelan.

The news that Whelan holds citizenship in at least three countries adds complexity to an already-murky case. Whelan, the 48-year-old global security director for a U.S. auto parts company, was arrested a week ago in Moscow. At the time, he was identified only as an American.

Russian authorities have released no information about the charges against Whelan, who could face up to 20 years in prison if convicted of spying. Russian media reported Thursday that Whelan had been formally indicted for spying and the Interfax news agency said he denied the allegation.

Whelan's family says he was in Russia to attend a friend's wedding. A Russian lawmaker, meanwhile, hinted Friday that the detainee could possibly be swapped for a Russian woman who has pleaded guilty to trying to influence U.S. politics.

Relations between Moscow and London have hit a low point in the wake of Britain's allegations that Russian military intelligence agents were behind the nerve-agent poisoning of a Russian former double agent and his daughter in the British city of Salisbury in March.

British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt said his government was helping Whelan.

"We are giving him every support we that we can, but we don't agree with individuals being used in diplomatic chess games," Hunt said Friday on Sky News. "We are extremely worried about him and his family."