A DONEGAL man has been interviewed by Garda detectives after it emerged his passport details were used by one of the alleged Russian spies arrested in the US.
Eunan Gerard Doherty, from Ballyloskey, Carndonagh, was unwilling to comment yesterday on the possible misuse of his passport, but he confirmed he had travelled to Moscow on holiday.
The part-time fireman said no one had confirmed to him that his passport, or a copy of it, was used by a man known as Richard Murphy, who was arrested in New Jersey last week as a Russian spy.
A Garda source confirmed yesterday that Mr Doherty had been interviewed in relation to his passport.
When contacted yesterday Mr Doherty said he was not making any comment. “I am waiting to have a meeting tomorrow. I have a lot of questions that need to be answered.”
A local source said that, before Mr Doherty travelled to Moscow, his passport was sent to the Russian embassy in Dublin to secure the necessary visa. It is believed he travelled to Russia in 2005.
Richard Murphy, who was arrested in New Jersey together with his wife Cynthia, was born in Philadelphia and lived in New Jersey. He claimed he was instructed to use the false Irish passport, according to details contained in documents released by the US justice department.
The documents say Mr Murphy flew from Newark airport to Rome in February, where he was instructed to collect an Irish passport in the name of Eunan Gerard Doherty before flying on to Moscow.
The 10 alleged spies have been charged with carrying out deep-cover work in the US to recruit political sources and gather information for the Russian government.
The passport was described as an old “transit passport”.
The Department of Foreign Affairs said it had learned that one of the people arrested was alleged to have travelled on a forged Irish passport.
A spokesman said it was seeking more information on the allegations.
A statement said the firm position of the Government on the fraudulent use of Irish passports was a matter of public record.
Earlier, Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov said he was awaiting an explanation on the arrests.
In a statement, the US justice department said the suspects had been arrested following an investigation lasting several years.