News / EU

Spain detains Russian over alleged US vote hacking: Source

Monday, 10 April 2017 1:00 PM [ Last Update: Monday, 10 April 2017 1:49 PM ]

A police officer guards a terminal of the airport in Barcelona, Spain, on March 22, 2016. (Photo by AP)

A Russian computer expert has been remanded in custody in Spain on suspicion of involvement in alleged hacking of the US presidential election campaign, a legal source says.

Piotr Levashov, who was arrested at Barcelona Airport on Friday, has been singled out by the United States for extradition in a request which is due to be examined by Spain's national criminal court, the source said on Monday.

Levashov is "suspected of having participated in allegedly hacking the election campaign in the United States," the source added.

From the date of arrest, Washington has 40 days to present its legal case for extradition to the Spanish authorities.

Police said last week that Levashov had been arrested on Friday "following an international complaint" and had been transferred to Madrid.

In January, US intelligence agencies publicly accused Russia of hacking the 2016 presidential campaign in an alleged bid to sway the outcome in favor of Republican candidate Donald Trump.

Moscow has denied the allegations. Trump, who won the November vote, has also rejected accusations of any collusion.

Speaking to Russia Today television late on Sunday, Maria Levashova said her husband had been detained "at the request of the American authorities in connection with cyber-crime."

She said the Spanish police had told her it was in connection with "a virus which appears to have been created by my husband (and) is linked to Trump's victory."

In mid-January, another Russian computer expert wanted by the US, Stanislav Lisov, was arrested at Barcelona's El Prat airport as he was about to board a flight.

He was jailed on January 13 after being questioned via video conference by a judge in Madrid's National Court, which investigates suspected crimes that have an international remit.

(Source: AFP)

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