MOSCOW—A U.S. musician and former paratrooper has been arrested in Moscow on drug dealing charges and his court appearance, locked in a metal cage, has been shown on Russian state television.
Russia’s court system named the detained American as Michael Travis Leake, 51, who was formerly a songwriter and musician in the Russian “Lovi Noch” (“Catch the night”) rock band.
A U.S. State Department spokesperson confirmed that Leake was detained in Moscow, adding that officials from the U.S. embassy there attended his arraignment on June 10.
“When a U.S. citizen is detained overseas, the Department pursues consular access as soon as possible and works to provide all appropriate consular assistance,” the Department spokesperson said in emailed responses….