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An American journalist was arrested in Russia and accused of being a spy. The Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation said that Evan Gershkovich, who worked as a correspondent for the Moscow bureau of The Wall Street Journal, was "trying to obtain secret information" about the "Russian military-industrial complex" when he was detained in the city of Yekaterinburg, which is east of the Ural Mountains.
"We're not talking about suspicions," Dmitri S. Peskov, spokesman for Russian President Vladimir Putin, said. "He was caught red-handed."
Peskov did not provide additional details about the charges.
The Wall Street Journal rejected the accusations that Gershkovich was working as a spy.
"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 news outlet said in a statement. "We stand in solidarity with Evan and his family."
According to the BBC, Gershkovich was transported to Lefortovo district court in Moscow, where he pleaded not guilty. He was ordered to be detained until his next court hearing, scheduled for May 29.
Gershkovich is the first US reporter to be accused of being an American spy since the fall of the Soviet Union. If convicted, he could face up to 20 years in Russian prison.