Putin - My spy chiefs know nothing about alleged agent Butina in U.S.

FILE PHOTO: Maria Butina appears in a police booking photograph released by the Alexandria Sheriff's Office in Alexandria, Virginia, Aug. 18, 2018. Alexandria Sheriff's Office/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo

MOSCOW (Reuters) - President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday it was unclear to him why a Russian woman, Maria Butina, had been detained in the United States and accused of being a Russian agent because his intelligence chiefs had told him they knew nothing about her.

Butina is suspected of trying to infiltrate the National Rifle Association and influence U.S. policy towards Russia and is expected to plead guilty this week following a deal between her lawyers and U.S. prosecutors, according to court filings on Monday.