Spy suspect 'embarrassed' by furore

Russian spy suspect Anna Chapman 'embarrassed' by coverage surrounding the case
12 April 2012

Suspected Russian spy Anna Chapman is said to be "embarrassed" by the media coverage generated by her arrest as her ex-husband revealed more intimate details about their relationship.

The image of the flame-haired 28-year-old was splashed across the world's media following her arrest for allegedly spying on the US.

Her private life was dissected at length after Alex Chapman and his family decided to speak to the media about their time with her.

Chapman and 10 others are accused by the United States of working as secret agents for Russia's intelligence service, the SVR.

Lawyer Robert Baum, showed the Russian diplomat's daughter press cuttings following her arrest.

He said: "She was embarrassed by some of the photos that were obviously taken from her Facebook pages. The truth is she is probably no different than your typical single 28-year-old woman in New York City. She runs a successful business, goes out at night. She dates men, enjoys a social life."

Chapman's former father-in-law insisted he did not recognise the press images of her and suggested she may have been set up.

The 56-year-old independent mortgage adviser told the Daily Mail: "She's simply not some Mata Hari, she can't be... she's just an ordinary girl."

But his 30-year-old son, from Bournemouth, Dorset, spoke of his suspicions she was being "conditioned" by shadowy contacts during their marriage.

In an interview published in the News of the World, Mr Chapman also spoke of his meeting with an MI5 agent who quizzed him intently about Chapman's father and a Zimbabwean businessman.

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