Austrian Prosecutors Challenge Pre-Trial Release of Russia Spy Suspect

VIENNA (Sputnik) - Austrian public prosecutors on Tuesday appealed the decision by a Salzburg court not to remand in custody a retired army colonel suspected of spying for Russia.

"The prosecutor’s office filed an appeal in the afternoon against the release by a Salzburg state court. The high court in Linz will decide whether he should be taken back into custody," they said in a statement shared with Sputnik.

The day before that, the Salzburg State Court reportedly ruled not to arrest the retired colonel, suspected of espionage.

READ MORE: Austrian Court Orders Not to Put Col. Suspected of Spying for Russia in Custody

Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz said last Friday that an army officer had been detained on suspicion of leaking military secrets to Russia between 1992 and 2018. Kurz demanded that Russia provide "transparent" information on the issue.

The announcement "unpleasantly surprised" Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov who said the accusations were unfounded. His Austrian counterpart cancelled her planned visit to Russia.

READ MORE: New Info on Russia's Alleged Espionage to Emerge in Weeks — Austrian President