REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov Acquire Licensing RightsLONDON, Nov 29 (Reuters) - Former U.S. marine Paul Whelan has been attacked by another inmate in a Russian prison while serving a 16-year sentence on espionage charges, Russia's prison service said on Wednesday, after Whelan's brother publicised the incident.
After repeated requests, the prisoner hit Paul in the face, breaking Paul's glasses in the process, and attempted to hit him a second time," Dave Whelan said.
The Mordovia regional prison service confirmed to the Interfax news agency that the attack on Whelan had happened.
There was CCTV footage of the incident and the prison service was looking into it further before submitting a report to the police, Interfax reported.
Arrested in 2018 in Russia, Paul Whelan was convicted of espionage in 2020 and handed a 16-year sentence.
Persons:
U.S . Marine Paul Whelan, Maxim Shemetov, Paul Whelan, Whelan, Dave Whelan, Paul, Vladimir Putin, Evan Gershkovich, Andrew Osborn, Guy Faulconbridge, Timothy
Organizations:
U.S . Marine, REUTERS, U.S, Timothy Heritage, Thomson
Locations:
Moscow, Russia, Former U.S, Russia's Mordovia, American, Mordovia, Turkey, Washington