FILE PHOTO: Paul Whelan, a U.S. citizen detained in Russia for suspected spying, appears in a photo provided by the Whelan family on January 1, 2019. Courtesy Whelan Family/Handout via REUTERS

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia has allowed consular access to detained U.S. citizen Paul Whelan, who is suspected of espionage, RIA news agency cited a foreign ministry spokesman as saying on Wednesday.

Russia’s FSB state security service detained Whelan on Friday and opened a criminal case against him. [nL8N1Z00S9]