Russian agent Anna Chapman 'came close to catching top Obama official in a honey trap,' FBI counter intelligence chief claims

Slinky: Anna Chapman in leather on the catwalk at Russian Fashion Week in Moscow last month

Sexpot spy Anna Chapman came close to snaring a member of President Obama's inner circle in a honey trap, a top U.S. intelligence official has claimed.

In a documentary broadcast last night, FBI counter-intelligence chief Frank Figliuzzi claimed the glamorous Russian agent got close enough to 'disturb' U.S. spy catchers.

He said the fear that Miss Chapman was close to seducing a sitting member of the Obama administration spurred agents to swoop on the 10-strong spy ring of which she was a part.

Mr Figliuzzi told the Channel 4 documentary the auburn-haired spy got 'closer and closer to higher and higher ranking leadership... she got close enough to disturb us.'

'We were becoming very concerned,' he said. 'They were getting close enough to a sitting US cabinet member that we thought we could no longer allow this to continue.'

The revelation that Miss Chapman, now 30, was getting close to the highest levels of U.S. government could spark a re-assessment of her espionage abilities.

It had been widely reported that she was ineffectual as a foreign intelligence agent and that neither she nor any of cell managed to find out anything that couldn't be discovered through a Google search.

Mr Figliuzzi did not disclose the identity of the official targeted by Miss Chapman.

Born Anna Vasil’yevna Kushchyenko, Miss Chapman adopted her Anglophone surname after marrying British former public schoolboy Alex Chapman - who she claims to have fallen for because he looked like Liam Gallagher.

Her intelligence career came to an abrupt in June 2010 when, along with her nine colleagues she was arrested in New York City an FBI counter-intelligence swoop.

Espionage: A top U.S. counter-intelligence official claims Miss Chapman came close to snaring a member of the Obama administration in a honey trap

Pretty: The revelation could spark a re-assessment of Chapman's espionage abilities - she had been said to be an ineffectual spy

Since her deportation back to her home country in July of that year - in a dramatic, Cold War-style prisoner swap - she has cultivated a kind of celebrity in keeping with the Putin-esque national cult of a young, strong Russia.

Last month she appeared on the catwalk at Russian Fashion Week in Moscow clothed in a skin-tight leather ensemble which would not look out of place in a James Bond film.

She was greeted by rapturous applause by fans who had gathered for the 9pm show for French label I Love Fashion.