UPDATE 1-Austrian court finds former domestic intelligence officer guilty of spying

An ​Austrian court found former intelligence ​officer Egisto Ott ‌guilty of ​spying on Wednesday in a case in which he was accused of ‌helping Russia hunt down opponents and selling it state laptops and phones at the behest of suspected Moscow agent Jan Marsalek.

In ‌addition to spying to the detriment of Austria, which carries ‌a maximum sentence of five years in prison, Ott was found guilty of offences including misuse of office, bribery, aggravated fraud and breach ⁠of ​trust. Ott, 63, pleaded ⁠not guilty and has maintained his innocence since the trial opened in ⁠January.

The court handed him a sentence of four years ​and one month in prison. Ott's is the biggest spying case ⁠in Austria since a retired army colonel was convicted in 2020 of ⁠having ​spied for Moscow for decades.

The proceedings offered another glimpse of Russian intelligence-gathering in Europe, and of Marsalek's alleged operations ⁠across the continent, after a London court convicted three Bulgarians last year ⁠of ⁠being part of a Russian spy ring run by the fugitive former Wirecard executive, who ‌is Austrian.

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