国际英语新闻：Cyprus authorities believe suspected Russian spy may have left the island

Police sources said the American embassy in Nicosia has requested that the laptop be passed on to the United States authorities for a thorough scrutiny of its contents.

A United States embassy official was seen entering the Police Headquarters in Nicosia on Friday afternoon. This has led to speculation that he has set in motion the process for the recovery of the computer, but the Police spokesman refused to talk on the issue.

Metsos had been travelling on a Canadian passport which, however, is thought to be a fake one.

Cyprus police sources speaking on condition of anonymity have revealed that information was passed on to Cypriot authorities that the name Robert Christopher Metsos belonged to a Canadian subject who had died at the age of five.

Metsos is thought to have planned his escape from Cyprus as soon as he was released on bail to appear at an extradition hearing fixed for July 29.

He complied only once -- late on Tuesday afternoon -- to a court order to report to a police station but he failed to do so the next day, leading the Cyprus Police to issue an arrest warrant and post his picture as a wanted fugitive.

The picture, taken soon after his arrest early in the week, showed a bolding grey haired man with a thin moustache and wearing rimless spectacles.

Meanwhile, government spokesman Stefanos Stefanou on Friday dismissed criticism at the handling of the case.

A State Department spokesman and a spokesman for the American embassy in Nicosia expressed disappointed that Metsos was released on bail following his arrest in Cyprus and was thus "unnecessarily given the chance to flee."

"The case was being handled by the police, who had asked for a detention order by a court," Stefanou replied when asked to comment on the statements. "Justice in Cyprus is entirely independent and the court thought otherwise," he added.