Lawyer admits Paul Whelan was exchanging classified documents in Russia

On January 22, Paul Whelan's lawyer Vladimir Zerebenkov told Sputnik that his client had some "state secret" documents at the time of his arrest, but that Paul Whelan himself may not have understood the importance of these documents. "I can confirm that at the time of his detention, Whelan had some documents containing state secrets. But I cannot go into details," Zherebenkov said.

But Zheberenkov said his client may not have understood the significance of the documents he possessed. "How did he get them and did Whelan know that he had prohibited documents? All are possible," added Paul Whelan's defense attorney.

The lawyer also informed that former US Marine Paul Whelan was said to be looking for information about Russian culture. Paul was more interested by Russian security forces because he "had a deep interest in Russian heritage", including photos of Orthodox churches. Whelan's lawyer said that his client was looking for photos and information about cultural heritage in Russia when he was arrested. He did not even have time to download the photos. "Mr. Whelan is very interested in Russia, he is educated in cultural studies. He has friends in Russia, so it is not surprising that he wants to know and have information about Russian culture," - Lawyer Zheberenkov revealed.

Lawyer Zherebenkov said that even prosecutors did not have access to the secret evidence being used to charge Paul Whelan and therefore he did not know much more.

The Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) said Paul Whelan was detained in Moscow "while he was carrying out espionage duties". The FSB has opened a criminal case against Mr Whelan under Article 276 of the Russian Criminal Code (espionage), which carries a penalty of 10 to 20 years in prison if found guilty.