An espionage scandal rocks Austria, laying bare alleged Russian spying operations across Europe

By STEPHANIE LIECHTENSTEIN
Associated Press

VIENNA (AP) — Austria faces its biggest espionage scandal in decades as the arrest of a former intelligence officer brings to light evidence of extensive Russian infiltration, lax official oversight and behavior worthy of a spy novel. Egisto Ott was arrested March 29. The 86-page arrest warrant alleges among other things that he handed over high-ranking Austrian officials’ cellphone data to Russian intelligence, helped plot a burglary at a prominent journalist’s apartment and wrote up “suggestions for improvement” after a Russian-ordered killing in Germany. Ott is suspected to have provided sensitive information to Jan Marsalek, a fugitive fellow Austrian wanted on suspicion of fraud over his role in the collapse in 2020 of German payment company Wirecard.