MOSCOW – An embassy staffer of the United States put the lives of train passengers in danger as the man caught on tape stealing a railway sign in the northwest of Moscow, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has disclosed.
Reports in international media suggest that the Russian Foreign Office sent a diplomatic note to the US Embassy after its staffer caught in the act in daylight. The 30-year-old man allegedly stole a railway sign at the Ostashkov railway station in the Tver region.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman quoting law enforcers claimed that cops found the stolen railway sign in the trunk of the man’s vehicle. It further added that the registration plate of the car was red – which only diplomats used.
The international publication further quoting the Russian foreign dignitary stated “What is not funny is the danger that the US citizen put the lives and health of train passengers in danger. The Ostashkov hub is a rather busy part of the railroad. A railroad is a high danger area. If the missing sign was not discovered promptly, a tragedy could have happened”, it further added.
The Russian official further added that “The vehicle was pulled by traffic police in the Tver region on the same day for a traffic rules violation. The car was driven by an employee of the American embassy who fit the description.”
The Embassy decided to send the diplomat back to the native country instead of lifting his diplomatic immunity as the Foreign Ministry requested, she added.
Meanwhile, a state-run broadcaster published a video of the theft and reported that the railway sign was stolen by a US Embassy staffer who is identified as Parker Wilson. The motive behind the act is unclear while the Embassy has also not commented on the incident, it is further clarified.
