Russian security services said that they have detained an undercover CIA agent after he tried to recruit one of the country's intelligence officers, Sky News reported. The Federal Security Service (FSB) said they found the man with various disguises, including wigs and sunglasses, as well as a large sum of money.
Identified as Ryan C. Fogle, the agent was also in possession of "special technical equipment" and had written instructions for recruiting a Russian citizen, reports claimed. The FSB claimed Fogle was working undercover as a third secretary at the political department of the U.S. embassy in Moscow.
Russian state television showed pictures of a man said to be Fogle, wearing a baseball cap in what appeared to be a blond wig, lying face down on the ground.
Fogel is said to have been handed over to American officials after being detained overnight.
"FSB counter-intelligence agents detained a CIA staff member who been working under the cover third political secretary of the U.S. Embassy in Moscow," the FSB said. "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."
Michael McFaul, the U.S. Ambassador to Russia, had no comment on the matter.
This comes after the U.S. and Russian have been trying to step up cooperation and coordinated efforts to route terrorists following the April 15 bombing of the Boston Marathon, as the alleged bombers were immigrants from Chechnya, a disputed region in the south of Russia.
The Wall Street Journal reported on Friday that the Russia government 'witheld information' from the U.S. government regarding the two suspects, Dzhokhar and Tamerlan Tsarnaev.
