Latvian citizen arrested for allegedly spying for Russia

The Latvian Security Police have announced the arrest of a man who is suspected of spying for a foreign country, with some reports claiming it is Russia. The Latvian state-owned news agency, LETA, said late last month that the man, who has not been named, was arrested by Security Police officers on Tuesday, December 19, 2017. However, the arrest was not announced by Latvian authorities until recently. A statement issued by government authorities in Riga said that the man’s arrest had been followed by searches at several different properties in the Latvian capital.

The detainee, who is reportedly a Latvian national, is being investigated for espionage and has already been charged with illegally possessing a firearm. A court in the Latvian capital ruled last week that the suspect should be remanded in custody. Initially, the Security Police refused to identify the detainee or reveal the name of the country that he allegedly spied for. But some private Latvian news outlets, who are believed to be close to the government, said on the morning of February 7 that the detainee worked for the Russian state. One report claimed that the man was tasked with collecting military-related information from the region of Latvia that borders Russia. He would then share the information with his Russian handlers, according to the report. On February 8, the Security Police confirmed that the detainee was indeed suspected of working for Russia. According to the agency, he gave his Russian handlers information about the National Armed Forces, Latvia’s military force.

Also on February 8, Latvian authorities warned the country’s citizens that they should remain vigilant. A government statement said that Moscow was intensely interested in collecting classified information about Latvia and that the Russian secret services preferred to recruit Latvians when the latter visited Russia. Reports late last week said that, if found guilty of spying, the detained man could face up to 14 years in prison.

► Author: Joseph Fitsanakis | Date: 12 February 2018 | Permalink