A Wall Street Journal reporter who is a New Jersey native was arrested by Russian authorities and accused of spying for the United States.
Evan Gershkovich, 31, was reportedly taken into custody by Russian spooks as he dined at a restaurant in Yekaterinburg, a city in the Ural Mountains.
Russia is accusing Gershkovich of trying to obtain classified information. The FSB – Russia’s successor to the KGB – claims he “was acting on the U.S. orders to collect information about the activities of one of the enterprises of the Russian military-industrial complex that constitutes a state secret.”
He is the first American journalist to be arrested by Russia on spying charges since the Soviet Union days of 1986.
Gershkovitch grew up in Princeton, New Jersey, and attended Princeton High School before enrolling in Bowdoin College, a school in Maine.
“The Wall Street Journal vehemently denies the allegations from the FSB and seeks the immediate release of our trusted and dedicated reporter, Evan Gershkovich,” the Wall Street Journal said. “We stand in solidarity with Evan and his family.”
If convicted, Gershkovich could be facing up to 20 years in prison.
