Alexandria, Va. — A federal judge said Monday that the government's case against accused spy Robert Philip Hanssen was "extraordinarily strong" and ordered Hanssen confined to jail.
Hanssen, who appeared at a hearing wearing a green jumpsuit with the word "prisoner" printed across the back, did not contest his confinement under an agreement forged with prosecutors.
Plato Cacheris, attorney for FBI agent Robert Philip Hanssen, meets reporters outside federal court in Alexandria, Va. A judge Monday ordered Hanssen, accused of spying for Moscow since 1985, confined to jail.
With his lawyer cupping his elbow, Hanssen stood when U.S. Magistrate Judge Theresa Buchanan asked whether he understood that he was entitled to contest detention but had waived that right. "I do, your honor," he said.
Meanwhile, a U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed that law enforcement officials believe Hanssen may have alerted Moscow to a secret tunnel built under the Russian embassy by American intelligence agencies for eavesdropping
Buchanan said she could see no conditions for releasing Hanssen, accused of espionage, because he was both a flight risk and posed a threat to the safety of the community.
She noted that Hanssen, 56, was carrying his passport when he was arrested Feb. 18. She said the government had presented ample evidence to support keeping him jailed while his case moves forward.
"I find the government case extraordinarily strong," said Buchanan at the hearing, which lasted just several minutes.
Hanssen could get life in prison or the death penalty if convicted.
Hanssen's lawyers and prosecutors had agreed last week that Hanssen would be detained and the date of his preliminary hearing postponed to May 21 so that the defense could get an early look at some of the government's evidence.
Assistant U.S. Atty. Randy Bellows spoke briefly, telling Buchanan that Hanssen posed "an exceptionally grave danger to the U.S."
Plato Cacheris, Hanssen's lawyer, told the judge: "We do not subscribe to the facts Mr. Bellows has presented."
Monday's hearing only dealt with Hanssen's detention. He did not enter a plea.
But before the hearing, Cacheris told reporters that his client would plead innocent.
Cacheris also said he thought there were "a lot of gaps" in the government's case and said "we're not discussing a deal. There's no pressure."
Hanssen, a 25-year veteran FBI agent, has been held at an undisclosed detention facility since shortly after his arrest. The government alleges that since 1985, Hanssen has passed to Soviet and later Russian contacts 6,000 pages of top-secret documents containing information about how the United States conducts intelligence operations, which foreign agents it has targeted, and technical information about communications and surveillance.
A 100-page indictment accuses Hanssen of comprising, among other things, "an entire technical program of enormous value, expense and importance to the United States government." The New York Times first reported Sunday that Hanssen may have alerted Moscow to a secret tunnel built under the Soviet Embassy in Washington.
A former U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the FBI was chiefly responsible for the tunnel operation and that the National Security Agency likely had a role as well. The official did not provide details on when the eavesdropping effort began or what information might have been gathered.
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