MOSCOW. May 21 (Interfax) - The defense of Paul Whelan, a citizen of the United Kingdom, Ireland, Canada, and the United States charged with espionage, will seek a milder restrictive measure in court.
"We plan to persuade the court at the upcoming hearing that it is possible to release Paul Whelan from custody and put him under house arrest in a Moscow hotel, or to release him on bail," Whelan's lawyer Vladimir Zherebenkov told Interfax.
Whelan said he will not be a flight risk if he is released on bail because he is interested in proving his innocence.
The Moscow Lefortovsky District Court will on Friday hear the extension of Whelan's arrest through August 29.