Ukrainian detained in Bucharest suspected of being part of Russian sabotage network
A Ukrainian arrested in Romania is suspected of belonging to a network of agents controlled by Russian security services, according to Der Spiegel. Germany's interior minister discusses possible extradition.
Ukrainian arrested in Bucharest linked to weapons cache in Berlin
A Ukrainian detained in Romania is suspected of being part of a sabotage network coordinated by Russian state security services, according to German magazine Der Spiegel, which cites anonymous sources and documents from a Polish investigation.
According to News.ro, Der Spiegel describes how the man, 24 years old, boarded a bus from Poland to Berlin on 1 October last year. There he collected two parcels containing handguns from the side of a road in the east of the German capital and subsequently hid them in an underground storage facility beside a lake in the south-east of the city.
The suspect returned by bus to Poland but was later detained in Bucharest together with another Ukrainian citizen. The two are also accused of sending parcels containing incendiary devices via the Ukrainian rapid courier service Nova Post.
Romanian intelligence services, cited by Der Spiegel, stated that both suspects belong to a sabotage network controlled by Russian secret services, a network targeting multiple European states.
German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt declared last week that he cannot rule out the involvement of foreign powers in this case. Dobrindt described the suspect as a "low-ranking agent" without knowledge of his chain of command, and stated that the man was detained partly because he is believed to have contributed to preparations for attacks using letter bombs. The minister added that German authorities are discussing the possible extradition of the man from Romania.
The Russian Embassy in Berlin did not respond to a request for comment. German federal prosecutors declined to comment, and the Polish internal security agency and state prosecutor's office provided no immediate response.
Source: News.ro