Russian authorities arrest dual Russian German citizen on sabotage accusations

Russia’s top domestic security agency says it has arrested a dual Russian German citizen accused of planning to blow up railway tracks on orders from Ukrainian intelligence

MOSCOW -- Russia’s top domestic security agency said Tuesday that it has arrested a dual Russian German citizen accused of planning to blow up railway tracks on orders from Ukrainian intelligence.

The Federal Security Service, known under its acronym FSB, said that the man was arrested in the Volga River city of Nizhny Novgorod and an improvised explosive device was seized from him. It didn't identify the suspect.

The German Foreign Ministry said that the German Embassy in Moscow learned on Tuesday morning of the arrest of a man believed to be a German citizen and is seeking consular access. It gave no further details.

The arrest follows the detention in October of another German national, Nikolai Gayduk, who was accused of planning to sabotage energy facilities. Gayduk was arrested as he entered Russia’s westernmost exclave of Kaliningrad from Poland.

Germany earlier this year played a central role in a major East-West prisoner swap in which Russia released U.S. and German nationals it held in custody and a number of jailed Russian dissidents, while the U.S., Germany and some other European countries freed jailed Russians.