A Russian military diplomat has handed an envelope with 5,000 euros ($5800) to an Italian officer in exchange for secret documents, the Il Messaggero newspaper reported on Wednesday
ROME (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 31st March, 2021) A Russian military diplomat has handed an envelope with 5,000 Euros ($5800) to an Italian officer in exchange for secret documents, the Il Messaggero newspaper reported on Wednesday.
On Tuesday, Italy's gendarmerie detained the Russian military diplomat and a captain of the Italian navy after the latter allegedly provided classified documents in exchange for money. The Italian officer was arrested. The Russian ambassador to Rome was summoned to the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs after the incident. Rome decided to expel two Russian diplomats over the incident.
According to the newspaper, a meeting between the Russian military diplomat and the Italian officer took place in one of the parking lots in Rome. Italy's national gendarmerie, Carabinieri, confiscated the envelope during the arrest. Moreover, a similar transfer of documents took place in the past.
Earlier in the day, Adnkronos news agency reported that the Italian officer accused of espionage took photos of the classified documents from a computer screen and then copied them to a flash drive. The captain identified as Walter Biot was supposed to receive the money that was placed "inside boxes." The officer's SIM card was seized after the arrest, and investigators will study it.
Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs Luigi Di Maio said on Wednesday that the situation surrounding the detention of the Russian military diplomat on espionage suspicions is unacceptable, endangers the security of NATO, and could have unintended consequences.
The Russian Foreign Ministry expressed regret on Wednesday over the expulsion of two Russian diplomats from Rome, noting that an announcement about the potential response will be made later.
