Michael McFaul, United States ambassador to Moscow, has met with officials at the Russian foreign ministry after Russia ordered the expulsion of an alleged CIA agent, accusing him of recruiting a Russian agent. The Federal Security Service (FSB) identified the man as Ryan Fogle, the third secretary of the political section of Washington’s embassy in Moscow, and said he had been handed back to the embassy after his detention. The foreign ministry said that Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov had issued a protest to McFaul, who left the foreign ministry office on Wednesday with no comment, confirming that Fogle had to leave in the “shortest possible time”. Photographs published by the state English-language broadcaster RT showed a baseball-capped Fogle being held to the ground face down and having his hands put behind his back for the arrest. He was then shown being questioned at the Federal Security Service while documents such as his passport and a stack of 500-euro notes along with some letters were displayed. The FSB footage also displayed supposed espionage equipment including wigs, a torch, compass and even a mundane atlas of Moscow as well as a somewhat old-fashioned mobile phone.
