Austria is concerned about “Russian infiltration” after the arrest of a former agent

Moscow worries about Vienna. Austria’s chancellor called on Monday April 1 to strengthen security in the Alpine country after the arrest of a former Austrian secret agent suspected of spying for Russia. against this”serious charges”, “It is necessary to assess and clarify the security situation in the Republic”, Carl Neuhammer said in a statement on April 9, convening the National Security Council.

Egisto Ott, a former employee of the Directorate of National Security and Intelligence, was arrested on Friday. At the end of his police custody, the Vienna Regional Court on Monday ordered his pre-trial detention. “The Perils of Collusion and the Commission of Crime”

, body spokeswoman Christina Salzborn told AFP. She did not want to give details of the facts with which she is accused. According to the elements of the proceedings cited by the APA press agency, Egisto Ott will be “regularly” Provided information to the Russian secret services.

“We must stop the Russian espionage network from threatening our country”

Austria has been rocked on several occasions by embarrassing espionage cases for Moscow’s benefit. In early 2018, allied services limited their cooperation with this neutral country, not a member of NATO, for fear of leaks. “We must prevent Russian espionage networks from threatening our country by infiltrating or exploiting political parties or networks.”He pointedly underlined the far-right FPÖ movement’s ties to Moscow in the past.