Spy Suspect Wanted by U.S. Vanishes in Cyprus
Cypriot police began looking for an alleged Russian spy wanted in the United States who vanished Wednesday after being released on bail a day earlier in the Mediterranean island nation, a police spokesman said.
Spokesman Michalis Katsounotos says Christopher Robert Metsos, 54, who says he is Canadian, failed to report to police in the southern coastal town of Larnaca between 6:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. local time Wednesday according to the terms of release imposed on him Tuesday by a Cypriot court.
Katsounotos said a search failed to locate Metsos and authorities have begun the necessary procedures to issue a warrant for his arrest for breaching the terms of his release.
Andreas Pastellides, one of two lawyers representing Metsos in Cyprus, told the Associated Press that they had had no contact with their client since Tuesday afternoon.
Pastellides said Metsos did not show up for a meeting he was supposed to have Wednesday afternoon with Pastellides' partner, Michalis Papathanasiou, in Larnaca.
Papathanasiou told CBS News that Metsos put up the almost $25,000 bail from his own pocket.
Asked if he thought that was a lot of money for Metsos to be travelling with, Papathanasiou laughed, "What can I tell you?"
Dean Boyd, spokesman for the U.S. Justice Department's national security division, said he was aware of the media reports regarding Metsos, but is "going to have to defer to Cyprus authorities for comment."
A spokesman at FBI headquarters in Washington, William Carter, said the bureau is aware of press reports on the Metsos matter "and we are not commenting at this time."
Metsos had been staying at a hotel in Larnaca.
Metsos had paid for his room for two weeks on his credit card, CBS News has learned.
The receptionist at the hotel told a CBS News employee that when the Cypriot police searched the room they found nothing - "no clothes, no case, he has left."
Metsos could have slipped into the Turkish Cypriot north of the island, which is recognized by no country other than Turkey and has no formal extradition treaties with other countries. Cyprus was split into an internationally recognized Greek Cypriot south and a breakaway Turkish Cypriot north in 1974 when Turkey invaded in response to a short-lived coup by supporters of union with Greece.
The north has had a reputation for acting as a refuge for Britons fleeing justice in their homeland. Crossings between the north and south of the island were forbidden until 2003, when authorities on both sides and relaxed restrictions. Since 2003, there have been hundreds of thousands of crossings from both sides across six crossing points.
Metsos was arrested early Tuesday at Larnaca airport as he tried to board a flight for Budapest, Hungary. His arrest was based on an arrest warrant issued by Interpol, the international police agency.
Katsounotos had said that Metsos arrived on the island June 17. Cypriot authorities received the Interpol arrest warrant on June 25.
In the past, the east Mediterranean island has been known as a regional hub for spies from across the Mideast, as it straddles the meeting point of three continents - Europe, Africa and Asia.
More on Spy Arrests
U.S. Officials Play Down U.S.-Russia Spy Fallout
Suspected Spy's Travel Plans Sparked Arrests
Moscow: Suspected Spies Include Russian Citizens
Obama Ducks Question on Alleged Russia Spy Ring
Russia: Spy Arrests a Throwback to Cold War
From Russian Spy Arrests to Burger Diplomacy
Were the Russian Spies a Threat to National Security?
Russian Spy Ring Exposed
Accused Russian Spy a "Practiced Deceiver"
Ex-KGB: Russia May Have 50 Spy Couples in U.S.
11th Russian Spy Ring Suspect Arrested, Released
FBI: 10 Russian Spies Arrested in U.S.