A Latvian arrested for allegedly collecting information for Russia’s intelligence

RIGA, Latvia (AP) — A Latvian citizen was arrested for allegedly collecting information about the Baltic country’s defense sector for Russia’s shadowy GRU military intelligence service, authorities said Monday.

The suspect, whose identity was not made public, is accused of espionage. The person was taken into custody last month as officials conducted raids of two related sites.

Latvia’s State Security Service said the suspect obtained and passed along details about NATO forces there, as well as information about private infrastructure used for aviation and how to buy prepaid cellphone cards.

Latvia’s intelligence service is among multiple European agencies that are investigating what Western officials say is a broad campaign of alleged Russian sabotage and hybrid warfare targeting European allies of Ukraine. That campaign has included multiple arson attacks across Europe, as well as cyberattacks and espionage.

The Baltics and the rest of Europe are on high alert after fighter jet and drone intrusions into NATO’s airspace reached an unprecedented scale in September.

Some European officials described the incidents as Moscow testing NATO’s response, which raised questions about how prepared the alliance is against Russia.