Russia expels 'American CIA agent' Russia expels US diplomat in spy scandal Russia expels a US diplomat after saying he had been caught red-handed with disguises, special equipment and wads of cash as he tried to recruit a Russian intelligence agent to work for the CIA. MOSCOW: Russia has expelled a US diplomat after saying he had been caught red-handed with disguises, special equipment and wads of cash as he tried to recruit a Russian intelligence agent to work for the CIA. Apparently detained in an incongruous-looking blond wig, with props reminiscent of a schoolboy's spy kit, US embassy third secretary Ryan Fogle hardly looked like a Cold War secret agent. But the announcement still came at an awkward time for Washington and Moscow as they try to improve relations and bring the warring sides in Syria together for an international peace conference. Nevertheless, there was little sign that either country wanted to escalate the affair beyond a minimum response. Part of the equipment, including wigs and spying gadgets, Russia says Ryan Fogle was carrying. The Russian Foreign Ministry summoned US ambassador Michael McFaul to discuss the case on Wednesday and released a statement ordering Mr Fogle to leave Russia. "Such provocative actions in the spirit of the Cold War will by no means promote the strengthening of mutual trust," it said. In Washington, US State Department spokesman Patrick Ventrell suggested the episode was unlikely to affect broader US-Russian relations or plans for the Syria conference. The man the FSB says is Mr Fogle, right. "I'm not sure I would read too much into one incident one way or another," Mr Ventrell said. He confirmed that an embassy officer had been briefly detained, but declined further comment. Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) said Mr Fogle had been detained overnight carrying "special technical equipment," a disguise, a large sum of money and instructions for recruiting his target. Russian television showed grainy footage of a man identified as Mr Fogle, in a blond wig, being arrested and pinned to the ground. A photo published by the state-run Russia Today channel on its website showed two wigs, apparently found on him, as well as three pairs of glasses, a torch, a mobile phone and a compass. Also displayed was a wad of 500-euro ($650) notes and a letter printed in Russian and addressed to a "Dear friend." "This is an advance from someone who has been highly impressed by your professionalism, and who would highly value your cooperation in the future," the letter said. It offered an initial payment of $100,000, and $1 million a year for long-term co-operation, plus possible bonuses for useful information. The FSB, a successor to the Soviet KGB, said Mr Fogle worked for the CIA and that he had been handed over to embassy officials at some point after his detention. RT footage showed a Russian official haranguing Mr Fogle, a senior US embassy official and two others in an FSB office. The speaker says Mr Fogle twice called his target - an officer involved in counterterrorism in the restive North Caucasus - and proposed that he spy for the US. US-Russian relations had thawed markedly under Barack Obama's first-term "reset" of ties, but have chilled again since Russian President Vladimir Putin, himself a former KGB spy, returned to the presidency a year ago. But both leaders have signalled they want to patch things up again, and the countries are trying to improve counter-terrorism co-operation after the Boston Marathon bombings.