Jeremy Hunt has warned Russia not to use UK citizens in "diplomatic chess games" after a Briton was charged in Moscow with spying.

The foreign secretary said former US marine Paul Whelan, who was born in Canada to British parents and lives in Michigan, was being given "every support that we can".

The 48-year-old dual British-US national was taken into custody at the end of last month in Moscow, where his family said he was attending the wedding of a fellow former marine.

His twin, David Whelan, said his brother's "innocence is undoubted and we trust that his rights will be respected".

Image: Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt says he is 'extremely worried' about Mr Whelan

The detention of the Iraq veteran will fuel tensions between the UK government and the Kremlin following the Salisbury poisoning of former spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia in March.


The same nerve agent used in the attack subsequently claimed the life of 44-year-old Dawn Sturgess.

Speaking during a visit to Singapore, Mr Hunt told Sky News that "individuals should not be used as pawns of diplomatic leverage".

He added: "We are giving him every support that we can, but we don't agree with individuals being used in diplomatic chess games.

"Because it is desperately worrying, not just for the individual but their families, and we are extremely worried about him and his family as we hear this news."

Image: There are suspicions the arrest may be used to set up an exchange for Maria Butina. Pic: Facebook

The US informed informed the British embassy in Moscow on Thursday that an American citizen detained by the Russian authorities on 28 December also held UK citizenship, and therefore requested consular assistance.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has already called on Russia to explain Mr Whelan's arrest and said he would demand his immediate release if he felt his detention was inappropriate.

Mr Whelan faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted of espionage. Authorities have not given details of the allegations against him.

Mr Whelan's lawyer, Vladimir Zherebenkov, said he has appealed to the court against the detention of his client and requested he is released on bail.

He also said that Mr Whelan, who is being held at the Lefortovo detention facility in Moscow, was "feeling positive".

Daniel Hoffman, a former CIA Moscow station chief, said it was "possible, even likely" that Mr Whelan's arrest had been ordered by the Russian leader Vladimir Putin to set up an exchange for Maria Butina.

The 30-year-old Russian gun rights activist pleaded guilty last month to acting as a Kremlin agent to infiltrate the National Rifle Association.

Moscow claims Butina was forced to make a false confession about being a Russian agent.