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Russian citizen jailed in Bulgaria at US request, says diplomat

A Russian citizen has been taken into custody by the Bulgarian police on an arrest warrant issued by the United States

© EPA/GEORGI LICOVSKI

SOFIA, November 9. /TASS/. Russian citizen, Alexander Zh., has been taken into custody by the Bulgarian police in the city of Varna on an arrest warrant issued by the United States, Russia’s Consular General in Varna, Vladimir Klimanov, told TASS on Friday.

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"We learnt about the arrest of the Russian citizen by the Bulgarian authorities from his wife. We haven’t received any official information. Under the circumstances, the Consulate General will take all the necessary measures," the diplomat added.

The US government is charging the Russian citizen with fraud via computer networks, the Bulgarian newspaper Trud (Labor) reported on Friday. Washington says that the Russian hacker manipulated online ads and deceived advertisers from September 2014 up to late 2016, causing $7 mln worth of damage. The warrant to arrest the 38-year old Russian was issued by a New York court.

The regional court of Varna has ruled to keep the Russian citizen under arrest until a review of the case to extradite him to the US. The judges ignored the detainee’s statement that he’s been living in Bulgaria for 8 years, holds Bulgarian citizenship and has an apartment in Varna, because they thought that if the suspect is set free, he can cover up his tracks and continue his illegal activity.

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