Alleged Russian spy jumps bail

File this under what a surprise...

An international hunt is under way after Christopher Metsos, the alleged paymaster of the deep cover Russian spy ring, skipped bail in Cyprus.

The Cypriot police issued an arrest warrant when Metsos failed to report to a police station in Larnaca, a condition of his bail after he was detained on an international arrest warrant issued by the FBI.

However, the Americans, who were astonished that Metsos was freed on bail in the first place, will be working on the assumption that he has been whisked out of the country by the Russian intelligence service. One potential route of escape is via the Turkish-run enclave in northern Cyprus which is not recognised by the US or most other countries.

Metsos, 56, is alleged to be the go-between for the 10 other alleged Russian agents in the spy ring. He is accused of receiving money from a Russian agent then burying it in a park in northern Virginia for the other spies to retrieve.

Last night Michalis Papathanasiou, his lawyer in Cyprus, said: "I haven't heard from him at all. He had agreed to call me between 3pm and 4pm this afternoon but failed to do so. How can I represent him if I have no instructions?"

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