Russian spy ring: Search for Canadian who missed bail in Cyprus
An international hunt is being enforced after Christopher Metsos, the supposed paymaster of the deep cover Russian spy ring, skipped bail in Cyprus.
An arrest warrant was issued by the Cypriot police when Metsos was unable to report to a police station in Larnaca, a condition of his bail after he was detained on an international arrest warrant issued by the FBI.
However, the Americans, who were shocked that Metsos was freed on bail in the first place, assume that he has been taken out of the country by the Russian intelligence service. One possible route of escape is via the Turkish-run enclave in northern Cyprus which is not recognised by the US or most other countries.
Metsos, 56, is accused to be the go-between for the 10 other alleged Russian agents in the spy ring. He was reportedly receiving money from a Russian agent then burying it in a park in northern Virginia for the other spies to retrieve.
Last night Michalis Papathanasiou, his lawyer in Cyprus, said: "I haven’t heard from him at all. He had agreed to call me between 3pm and 4pm this afternoon but failed to do so. How can I represent him if I have no instructions?"
Metsos’ disappearance could further worsen relations between the US and Russia over the arrests just as both sides were seeking to play down the possibility of a major diplomatic rift.
Vladimir Putin, a Russian prime minister, told the former US president, Bill Clinton, that the American police were "out of control" and said he hoped the arrests would not reverse "all the positive gains". The foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, said the alleged spies had "not committed any actions directed against US interests".
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