| 15-16 | US graduate student detained in Moscow apartment |
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QUESTION: Do you know anything about this American graduate student who is apparently detained for hours in his apartment in Moscow, and is complaining about this bitterly? Does the US have a position on what he underwent?MR. RUBIN: I do have something on that. Mr. Joshua Handler reported to our embassy in Moscow on Thursday that the previous day - that would be Wednesday - he was interrogated in his Moscow apartment by officers of the Russian State Security Service, the FSB. According to Mr. Handler, his interrogation lasted approximately seven hours.
He told us that the FSB officials who questioned him presented him with a warrant permitting them to search his apartment. They removed a number of items, including his computer. He received a receipt for his property, and was told that it would be returned to him in approximately two weeks.
We do not know the reason for this event. We have approached the foreign ministry at the - our charge has approached the foreign ministry, or perhaps our DCM has approached the foreign ministry to try to get more details about the case.
We have no reason to believe that Mr. Handler's movement is being restricted in terms of leaving Russia. It does not appear that any charges have been filed against him, from the description of the events.
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QUESTION: Thank you.
(The briefing was concluded 1:43 P.M.)
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