People stop to watch black smoke coming from the roof of the Consulate-General of Russia in San Francisco. Photo / AP
People stop to watch black smoke coming from the roof of the Consulate-General of Russia in San Francisco. Photo / AP
Acrid, black smoke was seen pouring from a chimney at the Russian consulate in San Francisco and workers began hauling out boxes a day after the Trump administration ordered its closure amid escalating tensions between the United States and Russia.
The workers were hurrying to shut Russia's oldest consulate inthe US ahead of a Saturday deadline.
The order to leave the consulate and an official diplomatic residence in San Francisco escalated an already tense diplomatic standoff between Washington and Moscow, even for those who have long monitored activities inside the closely watched building.
"There is finally the realisation by the administration that Russians have been involved in intelligence operations at this consulate, which they have been doing for decades," said Rick Smith, a veteran FBI special agent who previously headed the bureau's Russian counter-intelligence squad in San Francisco.
Workers carry boxes out of the Russian consulate in San Francisco. Photo / AP
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova claims US "special services" intended to search the consulate last night. She says the US also plans to search apartments in San Francisco used by Russian diplomats and their families.
Zakharova says that involves the families leaving their apartments for 10 to 12 hours. The State Department isn't commenting specifically on whether officials plan to search the premises.
