Eleventh Russian Spy Suspect on the Loose! Metsos Skips Bail in Cyprus

Then there was one. Less than a week after 10 suspected Russian spies were arrested in the United States, Robert Christopher Metsos, the eleventh and final suspect, has skipped bail in Cyprus and is now on the lam, reports The Guardian.

Based on a tip from Interpol, Cyprus police arrested the 55-year-old Metsos in the city of Larnaca on Tuesday, as he attempted to board a flight to Budapest. Reports say he was carrying an American or Canadian passport, or both.

He was released on $20,000 bail and was supposed to report to a police station in Larnaca today. He never showed up.

Now a new arrest warrant has been issued, and police and Interpol agents are pursuing him across the Mediterranean island nation and beyond.

Before he was picked up in Cyprus, Metsos was reportedly active in Queens, N.Y. FBI surveillance is said to have observed him receiving a bag of cash from a Russian U.N. official in 2004. Metsos is thought to have acted as the "go-between" for the rest of the alleged spy network.

It is unknown when Metsos first fled to Cyprus, but as The Guardian notes, the island does make for a seemingly ideal getaway for a displaced Russian agent.

The strategic Mediterranean island has long been considered a staging post for spies. The US and Russian embassies stand only meters apart in the capital, Nicosia. Topped with satellite dishes and listening devices, both spend an inordinate amount of time trying to track each other...

Cyprus has a flourishing Russian community, with Russian advertisements, media and shops selling Russian goods in abundance. Unlike any other EU state, the Cypriot government is also headed by a communist party, Akel, that has strong ties to Moscow.

On Sunday, Metsos' 10 alleged compatriots were arrested by the FBI across the northeastern United States, where they had been reportedly spent the past 10 years engaging in information-gathering activities against the government while maintaining convincing "cover lives." For example, Anna Chapman led the life of a real estate agent and New York socialite, while Mikhail Semenko worked for a travel company.

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