MADRID/ASTANA, April 2. /TASS/. The Spanish citizens detained near the Baikonur spaceport in Kazakhstan have been released, a Foreign Ministry source said.
"The competent authorities confirm that the Spaniards are now free and the Spanish embassy in Astana is establishing contact with interested persons to provide them with consular assistance," the source told TASS.
The Informburo.kz news portal quoted a statement from Kazakhstan’s Aerospace Committee of the Ministry of Digital Development, Innovations and Aerospace Industry as saying that the Spaniards were detained by the Russian police.
"On April 1, at night, on the territory of the Baikonur spaceport, staff at the Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation at the Baikonur complex detained four foreign citizens who tried to enter without authorization the protected area where space infrastructure facilities are located," the statement said.
"Administrative measures have been taken against them in accordance with Russian law."
The spaceport, which Russia leases from Kazakhstan, is located in a remote desert area and access to it is restricted, although tours are available for private citizens who want to witness a spacecraft launch.