Russia says it intercepted a CIA agent who was recruiting Russian intelligence officers in Moscow, BBC News reports.
After releasing the man overnight, Russia has now ordered him to leave the country.
"At the moment of detention, special technical equipment was discovered, written instructions for the Russian citizen being recruited, as well as a large sum of money and means for altering appearance," the FSB said.
The FSB, like the KGB in the Soviet era, handles counterintelligence and internal affairs in Russia.
The alleged agent, named Ryan Fogle, reportedly served as a secretary at the U.S. embassy in Moscow. Russia Today has several pictures of Fogle and the arrest.
[UPDATE 13:13 EDT] Max Fisher of The Washington Post has published five things that are fishy about the circumstance of the arrest and subsequent report.
From RT:
The one-page letter to a would-be recruit proposes a payment of US$100,000 for an interview to discuss possible cooperation and promises up to $1 million a year payment if the contact agrees to supply the American side with the information it demands.
Here's the letter allegedly found on his person:
Here's the video of the arrest:
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