Update: 3:14 p.m. EST

Officially, Ryan Christopher Fogle worked as a junior diplomat at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow. According to Moscow, he's a spy working for the CIA. If so, he screwed up in the worst possible way.

Fogle was detained overnight by Russia's Federal Security Service (or FSB), the present-day successor to the KGB, and is accused of attempting to recruit a Russian agent to spy for Washington. Photographs quickly circulated of Fogle in custody, along with a disguise and gear – including two wigs, sunglasses, a knife and cell phone, a map of Moscow, a microphone, and an aluminum RFID shield. He was also apparently carrying stacks of €500 bank notes.

He also allegedly had a letter, in Russian (but translated in full here), purportedly offering an initial payment of $100,000 and a yearly salary of $1 million to a Russian agent for "long-term cooperation, with extra bonuses if we receive some helpful information." It was simply addressed to a "friend." The letter closed: "Thank you for reading this. We look forward to working with you in the nearest future. Your friends."

The letter also gave out what's purportedly one of the CIA's e-mail addresses: unbacggdA@gmail.com. (Most likely no longer in service. But feel free to e-mail.) "Your security means a lot to us," it read. "This is why we chose this way of contacting you. We will continue to make sure our correspondence remains safe and secret."

Other instructions were to e-mail the address with a new Gmail account – opened in a public place like a coffee shop – while not including any identifiable personal information. The letter also advised the recipient to buy a new mobile device or computer for opening the account. "We will reimburse you for this purchase," the letter read. Within a week, the would-be recruit would hear back.

Some of Fogle's purported gear. Subtle? Take a look at the aluminum RFID blocker.

Several photographs released by the FSB show Fogle being taken into custody while wearing a wig by strong-armed men with faces digitally blurred. Other images show him in custody without a wig and gear sprawled out on a table. His cover identity was apparently working as a Third Secretary at the embassy, according to the FSB – one of the lower-ranking embassy jobs.

"Recently American intelligence has made multiple attempts to recruit employees of Russian law enforcement organs and special agencies, which have been detected and monitored by Russian FSB counterintelligence," the agency told reporters in a statement. Fogle has been reportedly returned to the U.S. Embassy, and he hasn't been charged with any crimes. The U.S. Embassy isn't saying anything in response. The Russian Foreign Ministry reportedly summoned the U.S. Ambassador, Michael McFaul, and demanded Fogle's "immediate departure," reported the Wall Street Journal. On Tuesday, Fogle was expelled.

News of Fogle's arrest was also breaking as McFaul was doing a live question-and-answer session over Twitter. When asked for comment, McFaul tweeted "No."

Though it's important to keep in mind that U.S. and Russian spy games are not unusual, an arrest of this sort is highly out of the ordinary, especially with so many incredulous details. But even the David Petraeus, the former CIA chief, got caught with his pants down because of Gmail. And when there's an arrest or spy busted from either side, it's invariably written in the press as a throwback to the Cold War. The Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement that "such provocative actions in the spirit of the 'Cold War' in no way help to strengthen mutual trust." Though espionage between Washington and Moscow never stopped. Take a look at Anna Chapman and the Russian sleeper spies, for that matter.

But not even the Russian sleeper spies were caught cash-in-hand.