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Uniformed FSB Guard Whooped A US Diplomat In Front Of The Embassy

REUTERS/Maxim Zmeyev

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Jacob Bojesson Foreign Correspondent
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A U.S. diplomat was assaulted by a Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) guard June 6 as he was trying to enter the U.S. Embassy in central Moscow.

The FSB guard tackled the diplomat, who suffered multiple injuries including a broken shoulder. The diplomat was flown out of Russia for medical treatment, and he has yet to return. Four U.S. officials confirmed the previously unreported incident Tuesday for Josh Rogin of The Washington Post.

The U.S. Department of State quickly summoned Russian Ambassador Sergey I. Kislyak to complain about the incident. The motive for the attack is unclear, but different stories from U.S. officials claim the diplomat was seeking refuge at the embassy to avoid detention by the FSB, as he may be working as a spy in Russia under “diplomatic cover,” according to the Washington Post.

U.S. intelligence officials Monday shared stories of how Russian spies routinely break into the homes of American diplomats and rearrange their furniture. One case involved the killing of a U.S. defense attache’s dog during President Barack Obama’s first term in The White House. (RELATED: Russian Spies Assassinated An American Diplomats Dog)

“When the Russian government singles people out for this kind of intimidation, going from intimidation to harassment to something worse is not inconceivable,” former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense Evelyn Farkas told The Washington Post.

Russian agents slipped radioactive material in the tea of Russian defector Alexander Litvinenko in 2006 at a bar in London. A recently released British investigation claims Russian President Vladimir Putin likely approved the assassination. (RELATED: Here’s The Circumstantial Evidence Linking Putin To The Murder Of Russian Whistleblower)

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