A Moscow district court has ordered an American citizen identified as Joseph Tater to be held in custody for two months pending an investigation into a charge of assaulting a police officer.

A day earlier, the same court sentenced Tater to 15 days of administrative detention on charges of "petty hooliganism."

Russian state news agencies Tass and RIA-Novosti reported that the American began hurling insults after being asked to show his documents at a luxury hotel on Monday night.

The hotel officials claimed that the American citizen "behaved aggressively" and used profanity when he was refused accommodation, stating that he did not have the necessary documents.

Reports say the man assaulted a police officer when he was taken to the police station.

Officials at the US Embassy in Moscow said they were aware of the reports but would not comment further due to privacy restrictions.

On August 1, Russia and the West carried out the largest prisoner exchange since the end of the Cold War.

Included in the swap were Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and U.S. director of corporate security Paul Whelan, who were convicted of espionage charges they vehemently denied, and sentenced to six and a half years in prison by the U.S.-Russian dual citizen Alsou Kurmasheva, journalist of Radio Sloboda/Radio Free Europe for spreading "false information" about the Russian military.