VIENNA, Oct 9 (Reuters) – Four Ukrainians were arrested in Vienna this week on suspicion of spying, Austrian Interior Minister Gerhard Karner said on Friday, with Ukrainska Pravda newspaper saying two of its team were among those detained.
Three remain in custody, Karner said, declining to provide further details because the investigation was ongoing.
Austrian news agency APA quoted a spokeswoman for the Ukrainian embassy in Vienna as saying it was awaiting an explanation from the Austrian authorities on the circumstances of and legal grounds for the arrests. The embassy did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Reuters.
Ukrainska Pravda’s editor in chief Sevgil Musaieva said in a Facebook post investigative journalist Mykhailo Tkach was released after more than 12 hours of detention on Thursday in Vienna.
“However, his communication devices have not been returned, so the editorial office is currently unable to contact him directly,” she said. She said cameraman Yaroslav Bondarenko was injured during his detention.
“Currently, we are unaware of the procedural status of both journalists,” she added.
Austrian magazine Profil said Bondarenko would soon be released, citing a spokeswoman for the Vienna prosecutors’ office.
It said the two other men, arrested on Monday, were suspected of spying for a Ukrainian intelligence service and were being held while the investigation continued.
(Reporting by Francois Murphy;Editing by Alison Williams)
Comments