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US citizen detained in Moscow on suspicion of espionage oversees security at BorgWarner

The company asked that any further inquiries regarding this issue be directed to the U.S. State Department

© Andrey Makhonin/TASS

NEW YORK, January 1. /TASS/. US citizen Paul Whelan detained in Moscow on suspicion of espionage works for BorgWarner, a company that is based in Auburn Hills, Michigan, and is the supplier of auto parts, the company announced on its website on Tuesday.

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US citizen detained in Moscow on suspicion of espionage - FSB

"BorgWarner Inc. learned of the arrest of our employee Paul Whelan by the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) from news reports published Dec. 31, 2018. We can confirm that Mr. Whelan currently serves as the company’s director, global security. He is responsible for overseeing security at our facilities in Auburn Hills, Michigan and at other company locations around the world," the statement says.

BorgWarner has been in contact with the relevant US federal authorities in the wake of this situation, the statement says.

"We ask that any further inquiries regarding this issue be directed to the U.S. State Department," the statement says.

Russia’s Federal Security Service reported on Monday that it had detained US citizen Paul Whelan in Moscow on suspicion of espionage.

"On December 28, 2018 staff members of the Russian Federal Security Service detained US citizen Paul Whelan in Moscow while on a spy mission," the FSB press office said.

A criminal investigation into espionage has been launched against the US citizen.

If found guilty, he faces between 10 and 20 years in jail.

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