Russian spy ring: Paymaster escapes Cyprus net

The alleged paymaster of a Russian spy ring in the US spoke no more than necessary.

The alleged paymaster of a Russian spy ring in the US spoke no more than necessary. He stayed in modest hotels and dressed for the Mediterranean heat: shorts and untucked shirts. He wore spectacles and a clipped mustache.

Just another tourist on a budget in Cyprus. To US officials,the man identified as Christopher Robert Metsos is the spy who got away,a footloose operative who funneled money to US-based accomplices,10 of whom are in custody. Metsos,the FBI says,was a key player in an underworld of coded instructions,false identities and surreptitious bag swaps.

Greek Cypriot officials believe he fled the divided island,and crossing into the Turkish Cypriot north may have offered an avenue of escape. He was traveling on a Canadian passport,and a man in Canada has said the identity was stolen from his dead brother.

On June 17,Metsos,54,checked into Atrium Zenon,hotel apartments one block from Larnaca waterfront. He was with a beautiful woman with short brown hair of about 30 or 35,according to a receptionist. On June 29,the couple checked out and Metsos was arrested on an Interpol warrant at the airport while trying to board a flight to Budapest,Hungary with his companion. Cyprus Justice Minister said she boarded the flight because police had no reason to hold her. It is uncertain if Metsos was in Cyprus on vacation,or posing as a tourist. There is a heavy Russian presence in Greek Cyprus.

Cypriot police initially appeared unaware Metsos was suspected of espionage. Two days earlier,officials in the US arrested suspects in the spy case after years of surveillance and Metsos,cited in US court papers,was about to get caught in the firestorm of publicity.

The drama that day began for Michael Papathanasiou,a lawyer who represented Metsos until he jumped bail in Larnaca last week,when he got a call from a Larnaca court. Metsos,wanted in the US for alleged money laundering and acting as an unregistered agent of a foreign government,needed a lawyer. There was no mention of spying. Bail was set at 33,000,and an extradition hearing was scheduled for late July. Metsos passport was confiscated. The amount he was accused of laundering was 40,000. Greek Cypriot President Dimitris Christofias has deflected US Justice Department criticism over Metsos release,saying US authorities were slow in providing certain documents.

A police photo of Metsos shows a bald Caucasian. Bail paid,Metsos paid in advance for a two-week stay Achilleos hotel. He hung the Do not disturb sign outside his door and failed to report to police as required on June 30.

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A Russian receptionist said that Metsos may have slipped away while the night duty staffer was in the bathroom or had hopped off a back balcony. His bed was unused.

According to FBI,on May 16,2004, Metsos and a Russian government official swapped identical orange bags in Queens,New York. The FBI believes Metsos received money. Hours later,Metsos met alleged spy Richard Murphy at a Queens restaurant,gave him a package that contained Murphys cut. You will meet this guy,tell him Uncle Paul loves him8230; he will know 8230; it is wonderful to be Santa Claus in May, Metsos allegedly said. The next day,a GPS device secretly installed by US agents on a car linked to Metsos was tracked to Wurtsboro,north of New York City. Agents later discovered a buried package wrapped in duct tape in an area the car stopped.