Russian hackers arrested for interfering in US election?

It was a Russian computer programmer named Pyotr Levashov who was arrested at Barcelona airport on April 8.

Illustration of cyber attack activity - Photo: Reuters

On April 9, a spokesman for the Russian Embassy in Spain announced the above information but it is unclear why Levashov was arrested, as the spokesman did not provide further details, while the Spanish police and Interior Ministry have not commented on the incident.

However, according to AFP news agency, a Spanish police spokesman said that programmer Levashov, 36 years old, a Russian citizen living in St Petersburg, was arrested by a team of technology crime investigators under an international arrest warrant. Levashov was then extradited to Madrid.

Peter Carr, a spokesman for the US Department of Justice's Criminal Division, also declined to comment on the case, although he did confirm the arrest: "We have no information to provide at this time."

Last January, Spanish police also arrested another Russian programmer named “Lisov” who was wanted by the US for leading a financial fraud ring.

Meanwhile, Russia's Russian Today (RT) television station quoted Ms. Maria Levachova, Levashov's wife, as saying that her husband was arrested "at the request of US authorities on suspicion of involvement in cybercrime".

According to Ms. Levachova, Spanish police told her that "a virus apparently created by her husband was linked to President Donald Trump's victory" in the US election last November. The US Department of Justice has also refused to provide information about the case.

Russia has previously been accused by US intelligence and counterintelligence agencies of interfering in the US presidential election to boost Mr Trump's chances of winning.

The US Congress is also examining any links between Russia and Mr. Trump during the election campaign.

However, so far, senior Russian officials, including President Vladimir Putin, have repeatedly denied that Moscow sought to influence the US election.

According to Tuoi Tre