Sixth ‘Russian spy’ charged with espionage conspiracy in UK after major probe by counter-terror cops
A SIXTH ‘Russian spy’ has been charged with conspiracy to conduct espionage in the UK after a major probe by counter-terror cops.
The authorisation from the Crown Prosecution Service follows an investigation by the Metropolitan Police’s Counter Terrorism Command.
Tihomir Ivanchev, of Acton, west London, will appear in court on Wednesday.
He is the sixth person to be charged with conspiracy in an investigation into people suspected of spying for Russia, the Crown Prosecution Service said.
Nick Price, Head of the CPS Special Crime and Counter Terrorism Division, said: “The CPS has authorised a charge of conspiracy to conduct espionage against a sixth person suspected of spying for Russia.
“Tihomir Ivanchev, 38, will be charged with conspiring to obtain, collect, record, publish or communicate documents or information which might be or was intended to be directly or indirectly useful for a purpose prejudicial to the safety and interest of the state.
“On September 21, 2023, Orlin Roussev, 46, Bizer Dzhambazov, 42, Katrin Ivanova, 32, Ivan Stoyanov, 32, and Vanya Gaberova, 29, were charged with conspiring to collect information intended to be directly or indirectly useful to an enemy for a purpose prejudicial to the safety and interest of the state between 30 August 2020 and 8 February 2023.
“The charges follow an investigation by the Metropolitan Police’s Counter Terrorism Command.
“Criminal proceedings against the six individuals are active and they each have the right to a fair trial.
“It is extremely important that there should be no reporting, commentary or sharing of information online which could in any way prejudice these proceedings.
“The function of the CPS is not to decide whether a person is guilty of a criminal offence, but to make fair, independent and objective assessments about whether it is appropriate to present charges for a criminal court to consider.”
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