MOSCOW, July 11 (RIA Novosti) – Roman Seleznev, who was detained by the United States last week, may die in custody if denied medical care and medicine, his father told reporters Friday.
“He will die, and he will die very soon. I’m not going to elaborate on the medicine he is taking, but it is related to a massive brain injury. He had been in coma for eight days, and needs to take the medicine on a daily basis. If he does not take it for three, maximum five days, then he will die,” lawmaker Valery Seleznev said.
Seleznev also said that his son cannot be a hacker, because he has no special education and his fine motor skills are impaired.
"Roman could not be a hacker. He miraculously survived a terrorist attack in Morocco in 2011. He is in need of rehabilitation and medicine," Seleznev said at a press conference.
Commenting on the allegations in the media that his son may belong to a group of hackers under the auspices of the security services, the lawmaker said these “versions have nothing to do with reality."
Roman Seleznev, 30, was arrested on July 5, in a Maldivian airport by US secret services. Seleznev was taken to the island of Guam in the Pacific Ocean, where he appeared in court on Monday. The ensuing hearings are to be held on July 22.
US authorities have accused the Russian citizen of hacking into point-of-sale systems at a number of American shops to steal credit card data from customers. Seleznev faces up to 30 years in prison if convicted of the bank fraud, while the other charges also carry significant sentences. The Russian Foreign Ministry has called the incident an unfriendly move by the United States and a de facto kidnapping. The ministry is currently trying gain consular access to Seleznev.
