Romanian caught spying ordered to leave Russia

A senior Romanian diplomat who was detained in Moscow while trying to obtain military secrets from a Russian national has been declared persona non grata and ordered to leave the country within 48 hours, the Federal Security Service (FSB) said Monday.

The FSB has identified the alleged spy as Gabriel Grecu, first secretary of the political department of the Romanian Embassy in Moscow.

“The Russian Foreign Ministry has protested via diplomatic channels to the Romanian side over Grecu’s activities, which were incongruous with his diplomatic status,” the FSB said.

Espionage equipment was seized from Grecu, the FSB said in a press release.

The security agency did not reveal the identity of the Russian source involved in the case in the interests of the ongoing investigation.

Neither the Romanian Embassy in Moscow nor the Romanian Foreign Ministry has commented on the incident.