Rome: Italy has expelled two Russian Consulate officials and arrested the Italian Navy captain on charges of spying. Arrested on Wednesday. The order came after police arrested the Italian captain on Tuesday night on the outskirts of Rome while allegedly giving confidential information in exchange for money to a Russian officer.
The Italian Foreign Ministry said it summoned Russian Ambassador Sergei Rajov to protest against this “serious matter”. Italy’s Carabinieri paramilitary police said in a statement that the Italian naval officer has been arrested. The man found with him is a member of the Russian Armed Forces and is stationed at the Russian Embassy in Italy.
He was taken into custody, but was not immediately arrested due to his diplomatic status. Italy’s Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio wrote in a Facebook post that he and another Russian official allegedly involved in the case have been ordered to be expelled.
