Brother Of US National Whelan Arrested In Moscow Says No Family Member Visiting Russia

Rukhshan Mir (@rukhshanmir) Published January 17, 2019 | 09:24 AM

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 17th January, 2019) David Whelan, the brother of US national Paul Whelan, arrested in Russia on charges of espionage, told Sputnik that Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov was mistaken when he said that a brother of the suspect had arrived in Moscow, noting that no member of Whelan's family was in Russia and had any plans to visit the country.

Lavrov made his suggestion during a press conference on Wednesday, saying the detained individual's brother had been informed on the details of the case and his sibling's detention conditions.

"Minister Lavrov was mistaken ... No member of Paul's family is in Russia except Paul, and no member of his family has any plans to travel to Russia," David Whelan said.

Whelan, 48, who also has Irish, Canadian and UK citizenship, was detained in Moscow in December during what Russian authorities called a spy operation. He denies the charges and insists he came to Russia only to attend a friend's wedding. A Moscow court will consider the appeal against Whelan's arrest on January 22.