MOSCOW �� Russia's Foreign Ministry said the FBI arrested a Russian citizen in the Northern Mariana Islands, a U.S. Pacific territory, and then took him to Florida.
The Russian Embassy in Washington learned of the detention of Dmitry Makarenko from his relatives, the ministry said in a statement Saturday on its website. Makarenko was detained on Saipan with his wife, children and parents as they landed at the airport Dec. 29, the ministry said.
The Russian embassy is seeking access to Makarenko, and the ministry is demanding an explanation for the arrest. The U.S. courts' electronic filing network, Pacer, identifies the man as Dmitrii Makarenko.
Russian authorities previously detained an American, Paul Whelan, in Russia on suspicion of espionage. Whelan, a former Marine who is the director of global security for Michigan-based auto-parts supplier BorgWarner, was arrested "during an espionage operation," Russia's Federal Security Service, known as the FSB, said Monday.
Whelan's detention came two weeks after a Russian, Maria Butina, pleaded guilty in the U.S. to conspiring to act as an unregistered foreign agent.
