Russian court to consider transfer of jailed ex-U.S. Marine Whelan to U.S. - TASS

Former U.S. marine Paul Whelan, who was detained by Russia's FSB security service on suspicion of spying, stands inside a defendants' cage during a court hearing in Moscow, Russia January 22, 2019. REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov

A Russian court will consider a request next month to transfer former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan, sentenced last year to 16 years in a Russian jail, to the United States, his lawyer told TASS news agency on Monday.

The lawyer, Olga Karlova, said the hearing will take place in the city of Nizhny Novgorod on Nov. 8.

Russia convicted Whelan, who holds U.S., British, Canadian and Irish passports, of spying last June. He denied the charge and said he was set up in a sting operation.

(Reporting by Maria Kiselyova; Writing by Gabrielle Tétrault-Farber; Editing by Mark Trevelyan)