FBI agent charged with spying

MESSAGE BOARD Spy arrest

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A 27-year veteran FBI agent has been arrested and charged with espionage, FBI director Louis Freeh told CNN on Tuesday.

Robert Phillip Hannsen was arrested on Sunday night, Freeh said, and was to appear in federal court for an arraignment on Tuesday morning.

Hannsen is accused of working for Russian intelligence for over 15 years. His assignment with the FBI was in counter-intelligence trying to uncover Russian spies.

He was picked up while putting classified information into a dead drop -- where it allegedly was to be picked up by his Russian contacts -- in Virginia.

CNN Correspondents David Ensor and Kelli Arena contributed to this report.

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Federal Bureau of Investigation
U.S. Department of Justice
Embassy of the Russian Federation

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