Islam Times - Kremlin surprised by "crude, clumsy" US spying: Putin aide

Islam Times - Russia has expressed surprise with "crude and clumsy" US espionage activities in Moscow.

“The Kremlin is surprised by the ‘crude and clumsy’ espionage activities of the United States in Russia,” a senior advisor to Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday after a suspected CIA operative was caught trying to recruit a Russian agent.

“To say the least, we are surprised by the extremely crude and clumsy recruitment” that came after pledges by both sides to improve cooperation, ITAR-TASS quoted Putin's foreign policy advisor Yuri Ushakov as saying.

The alleged CIA spy, Ryan Fogle, was allegedly interested in obtaining information about the April Boston bombing suspects, whose origins were in the Russian Caucasus.

Officially a diplomat, Fogle might have been looking for information on the Tsarnaev brothers, who are alleged to have carried out the Marathon bombings.

On April 15, twin bombings near the finish line of the Boston Marathon killed three people and injured more than 250 others.

Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, the surviving suspect in the bombings, has been charged with using a weapon of mass destruction.