Austrian Ex-Officer Suspected of Spying for Russia Arrested

An Austrian court said Friday that it ruled to arrest a retired Austrian officer suspected of spying for Russia.

Earlier in November, a local court rejected the request of the prosecutor's office for the arrest of the suspect. This ruling was challenged by public prosecutors.

"The judicial board satisfied the challenge [of the prosecutors] about the arrest, including because of the threat of committing a crime," a representative of the court said as quoted by the Kronen Zeitung newspaper.

The Salzburg prosecutor’s office confirmed that the suspect was detained again earlier in the day, and was in pre-trial custody, according to the media.

Earlier this month, Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz confirmed that a retired Austrian colonel was suspected of espionage for Moscow and demanded that the Russian side provided "transparent" information on the matter.

Moscow in response expressed a protest to Austrian Ambassador to Russia Johannes Aigner over the accusations. The Russian Foreign Ministry said on Friday that Vienna's steps were based on suspicions without evidence, adding that Austria's statements over the spy scandal had already complicated bilateral relations.