American Charged in Russia Also Holds British, Canadian and Irish Citizenship

[JacksinPA]

https://www.wsj.com/articles/americ...-to-also-hold-british-citizenship-11546593245

Paul Whelan was detained last week and has since been charged with espionage, but his family says he was traveling in Russia for a wedding

MOSCOW—An American detained in Russia and charged with espionage also holds Canadian, British and Irish citizenship, a revelation that heightens the mystery surrounding a case that threatens to complicate Moscow’s already tense relationship with the West.

Paul Whelan, a 48-year-old former Marine from Novi, Mich., was detained last week and later charged, Russian state media reported Thursday. His family has said he was traveling in the country for a wedding and denied he was involved in espionage.
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Three nationalities (or more), at least 3 passports & frequent travel to Russia? Starting to look like a spy to me.

 

[Mycroft]

https://www.wsj.com/articles/americ...-to-also-hold-british-citizenship-11546593245

Paul Whelan was detained last week and has since been charged with espionage, but his family says he was traveling in Russia for a wedding

MOSCOW—An American detained in Russia and charged with espionage also holds Canadian, British and Irish citizenship, a revelation that heightens the mystery surrounding a case that threatens to complicate Moscow’s already tense relationship with the West.

Paul Whelan, a 48-year-old former Marine from Novi, Mich., was detained last week and later charged, Russian state media reported Thursday. His family has said he was traveling in the country for a wedding and denied he was involved in espionage.
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Three nationalities (or more), at least 3 passports & frequent travel to Russia? Starting to look like a spy to me.

Looks that way to me, too.

The question is, who would he be spying for? Maybe all four countries?

 

[Rogue Valley]

https://www.wsj.com/articles/americ...-to-also-hold-british-citizenship-11546593245

Paul Whelan was detained last week and has since been charged with espionage, but his family says he was traveling in Russia for a wedding

MOSCOW—An American detained in Russia and charged with espionage also holds Canadian, British and Irish citizenship, a revelation that heightens the mystery surrounding a case that threatens to complicate Moscow’s already tense relationship with the West.

Paul Whelan, a 48-year-old former Marine from Novi, Mich., was detained last week and later charged, Russian state media reported Thursday. His family has said he was traveling in the country for a wedding and denied he was involved in espionage.
=============================================
Three nationalities (or more), at least 3 passports & frequent travel to Russia? Starting to look like a spy to me.

Supposedly he is a Russophobe, learned Russian, and has been visiting Russia (Moscow/St. Pete) since 2008. He was in Moscow last week [his brother says] for a wedding

Whelan did not receive an honorable discharge from the Corps (theft/larceny) in 2009. Makes me wonder how he was hired as the International Director of Security for BorgWarner.

According to his VK account (Russia's Facebook) among his friends is a Russian soldier and a Russian Frontier Guard, both stationed in Moscow.

 

[Napoleon]

https://www.wsj.com/articles/americ...-to-also-hold-british-citizenship-11546593245

Paul Whelan was detained last week and has since been charged with espionage, but his family says he was traveling in Russia for a wedding

MOSCOW—An American detained in Russia and charged with espionage also holds Canadian, British and Irish citizenship, a revelation that heightens the mystery surrounding a case that threatens to complicate Moscow’s already tense relationship with the West.

Paul Whelan, a 48-year-old former Marine from Novi, Mich., was detained last week and later charged, Russian state media reported Thursday. His family has said he was traveling in the country for a wedding and denied he was involved in espionage.
=============================================
Three nationalities (or more), at least 3 passports & frequent travel to Russia? Starting to look like a spy to me.

He was courtmartialed for larceny and given a bad conduct discharge from the Marines. Maybe Russian mob connections?

 

[Dittohead not!]

The guy just might be a spy.

That we have spies in Russia and they have them here is no secret. We just caught one of theirs, so they have to get one of ours. That way, we can have an exchange and pretend not to be spying on each other any more.

Which is true, of course, we won't be spying on each other any more. We won't be spying on each other an less, either.

This sort of thing has been going on since the cold war.

 

[Napoleon]

The guy just might be a spy.

That we have spies in Russia and they have them here is no secret. We just caught one of theirs, so they have to get one of ours. That way, we can have an exchange and pretend not to be spying on each other any more.

Which is true, of course, we won't be spying on each other any more. We won't be spying on each other an less, either.

This sort of thing has been going on since the cold war.

Either that or Russia is just really good at setting up profoundly stupid Americans. There was someone on NPR yesterday talking about their experience and his story was basically that he met this guy who offered him a file containing photographs of Russian soldiers and military facilities and he took it but he had no idea why he was arrested hours later for espionage. Not a spy, just meeting people in dark alleys to illegally obtain classified material. :doh

 

[JacksinPA]

I had heard that the Russians had their eyes on Whelan for some time before this apparent set up. They appear to be desperate to get Maria Butina back in a spy swap before she spills her guts to the Feds. She must know quite a bit.

I have no idea why Butina agreed in your plea deal to be deported after the Government is through with her. The best she can expect is a very harsh debriefing in a Russian prison followed by their trademark pistol bullet to the back of her head. She should have held out for Witness Protection.

 

[JacksinPA]

BorgWarner press release re Whelan:

https://www.borgwarner.com/newsroom/press-releases/2019/01/01/statement-regarding-paul-n.-whelan

Statement regarding Paul N. Whelan

BorgWarner Inc. learned of the arrest of our employee Paul Whelan by the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) from news reports published Dec. 31, 2018. We can confirm that Mr. Whelan currently serves as the company’s director, global security. He is responsible for overseeing security at our facilities in Auburn Hills, Michigan and at other company locations around the world.

BorgWarner has been in contact with the relevant U.S. Government authorities in order to help our employee and the U.S. government. We ask that any further inquiries regarding this issue be directed to the U.S. State Department.
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I would think that a huge company like BorgWarner would have the same HR policy as do other F500 companies: dishonorably charged veterans are put in the same class as convicted felons: no hire. Which makes me think that he got this big job with Government help, a BW likely does big business with the Feds. This would have given Whelan cover at the many international trade shows that BW likely attends & makes him just a high level business man. Great cover for a spy.

 

[Airyaman]

The more and more I think about this story, the more this smells like a set-up. Whelan is probably sitting in a nice cozy hotel room somewhere while our government begs to get him exchanged for Butina.