Russian diplomats leaving Canada

OTTAWA, Jan. 31 (UPI) -- A second Russian diplomat has flown home from Canada following the arrest of a Canadian sailor for espionage, the Globe and Mail reported Tuesday.

Since the Jan. 16 arrest of Canadian naval intelligence officer Sub-Lieutenant Jeffrey Delisle, accused of sharing government secrets to undisclosed foreign countries from a base in Halifax, Nova Scotia, a total of six diplomats' names have been dropped from the daily register of Russian diplomatic staff, the newspaper said.

Two are known to have flown back to Russia. The most recent departure was a consular officer in Toronto, while the first was a military attache in Ottawa. Both had been in Canada for several years.

The departures leave 100 Russian diplomatic staff officially recognized by the Canadian government.

The Russian government told the Globe their staff is routinely reassigned to other postings and denied the recent activity had anything to do with the espionage case.

Prosecutors allege Delisle passed Canadian secrets to a foreign country between July 2007 and the day of his arrest, Jan. 13.

His initial lawyer has quit the case for undisclosed reasons and Delisle remains in custody awaiting a Feb. 28 bail hearing, CTV News said.