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Russia says alleged spy had plans for underwater missile |
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April 22, 2000
MOSCOW, APR 21 (AP) - U.S. citizen Edmond Pope, arrested two weeks ago and charged with espionage, was seeking plans for a unique underwater missile fired by submarines, the Federal Security Service said Thursday, according to Russian news agencies.
The agency previously had said only that Pope was charged with divulging state secrets, a charge on which he could face 20 years in prison if convicted. He was arrested April 5 and is being held in Moscow's Lefortovo prison.
"The U.S. citizen focused his attention on a high-speed underwater missile," said the agency, known by the initials FSB. Such missiles "can build up a speed of 100 meters a second" (about 225 miles per hour).
Experts believe the missile to be the most effective weapon that could be used in duels between submarines, the FSB said, according to the reports.
A Russian man who allegedly was Pope's accomplice also was arrested in Moscow on May 5. The FSB has not identified him.
Pope is a native of Grants Pass, Ore. After retiring from the Navy, Pope worked in 1994-97 with Pennsylvania State University's Applied Research Laboratory, which does research for the military.
Pope was an "assistant for foreign technology" who developed contacts between Russian and U.S. research institutes and worked on converting technology for commercial uses, a statement from Penn State said.
He left the laboratory to create CERF Technologies International, which "has commercial contacts with organizations in Russia," according to the statement. He frequently traveled to Russia on business, it said.
The arrest has provoked a more muted reaction than during a string of arrests of alleged spies last year.
In December, a U.S. diplomat was expelled from Russia last year after being briefly detained by the FSB. Washington then expelled a Russian diplomat who allegedly monitored transmissions from a bugging device discovered at the U.S. State Department.
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