Moscow - The US embassy identified yesterday an American being held by the Russian security service on suspicion of spying. "Mr Edmond Pope (53) was detained on April 4th by the FSB," an embassy spokesman said.
The FSB, a successor to the Soviet-era KGB, declined to name the man but said on Wednesday it had detained on suspicion of spying the head of a private security firm who had earlier worked for US intelligence.
US television has said Mr Pope was a retired US naval captain who spent much of his career working in naval intelligence.