[FPSPACE] Three British citizens detained at Russian airshow

[Jim Oberg]

Three British citizens detained at Russian airshow

Moscow Interfax in Russian 1250 GMT 24 Aug 07


Moscow/Zhukovskiy, 24 August: Three British citizens have been detained on the territory of the MAKS-2007 air-space show and handed over to the Russian FSB [Federal Security Service] for investigation, a member of the operations headquarters of the Russian Interior Ministry at MAKS-2007, Col Anatoliy Dunayev, has reported.

"The detainees were in a technical zone of the town of Zhukovskiy where enterprises of the military-industrial complex work. They have been handed over to members of the Federal Security Service, who are dealing with them," Dunayev told journalists on Friday [24 August].

[RIA Novosti, Moscow, in Russian, 1232 gmt 24 Aug 07 reported that the three British citizens were detained "two days ago". Quoting a statement by the headquarters, the report said: "On 22 August three foreign citizens who are subjects of Great Britain were detained on the territory of the airshow in a technical zone. After all the circumstances were clarified, the foreign citizens were taken out of Zhukovskiy's technical zone." 

According to the RIA report, "an employee of the press service of the main Interior Ministry directorate for Moscow Region earlier told RIA Novosti that the three foreigners had illegally entered the technical zone with cameras". The agency added that "the British embassy in Moscow does not yet have information about the incident".]