MEXICO CITY (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 21st February, 2020) Hector Alejandro Cabrera Fuentes, a Mexican citizen detained in the United States on suspicions of spying for Russia, took part in scientific projects in the southern Mexican state of Oaxaca and achieved great success in the field of medicine, Hazael Matus, Mayor of the El Espinal city, has said.
"Cabrera [Fuentes] participated in scientific projects in our region and was considered a candidate for the Nobel prize in medicine," Matus has said, as quoted in the Milenio news outlet.
Fuentes holds a doctorate in microbiology and molecular biology from Kazan Federal University in Russia and, in addition, has a degree from the University of Giessen in Germany, the news outlet reported.
He also reportedly worked as an occupational researcher in Singapore and specialized in heart and skin diseases.
According to the US Justice Department, Fuentes was recruited by a Russian government official in 2019, who instructed him to rent a specific property in Florida and obtain the vehicle license plate number of a vehicle belonging to a US government source. The Mexican was detained on Sunday at Miami International Airport as he was attempting to leave the country. Fuentes confirmed that he took photographs of a US government source's vehicle under the instruction of a Russian official, according to the justice department.
The pretrial detention hearing for the suspect is scheduled for Friday, while his arraignment is scheduled for March 3.
