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Japanese citizen detained in Belarus charged with agent activity

"The accused is being kept in the KGB’s pretrial facility, actively cooperating with investigators and giving them a detailed account of his unlawful actions," State Security Committee Konstantin Bychek said

© Valery Sharifulin/TASS

MINSK, September 5. /TASS/. Japanese citizen Masatoshi Nakanishi was detained in Belarus on suspicion of agent activities and admitted his unlawful actions during the questioning, Chief of the Investigative Office of Belarus' State Security Committee (KGB) Konstantin Bychek told the Belarus-1 television.

"Nakanishi was charged with committing a crime under Article 358-1 (agent activity) of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Belarus," the official said.

"The accused is being kept in the KGB’s pretrial facility, actively cooperating with investigators and giving them a detailed account of his unlawful actions," he added.

According to Bychek, the detainee "collected and transferred intelligence information of military nature to a Japanese special service" while on the territory of Belarus. The information concerned "the military infrastructure of Belarus, movement of troops, the current situation in the Southern direction et cetera." Also, the Japanese citizen attempted "to recruit Belarusian citizens who had access to state secrets."

Officers seized gadgets containing the suspect’s correspondence with his curators, "containing reports about fulfilled tasks and related financial costs." Also, the investigation established that "the foreigner was repeatedly meeting with agents of a foreign special service, working on the territory of the Republic of Belarus under the diplomatic cover."

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