Swiss probe Russians over alleged World Anti-Doping Agency hack
Swiss newspapers on Saturday said the WADA offices, hosted by the Maison du Sport International, and International Olympic Committee (IOC) in Lausanne had both been targeted by hackers
Keystone
Two Russian agents arrested in the Netherlands on suspicion of spying on a Swiss laboratory are also being investigated by Switzerland over an alleged cyberattack on the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), it emerged on Saturday.
The Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland (OAG) confirmed to Reuters and AFP that prosecutors were investigating whether Russian agents tried to hack WADA, which has its European office in the Swiss city of Lausanne.
Criminal proceedings were launched in March 2017 on suspicion of political espionage, the OAG said in a statement.
The OAG said the individuals concerned were the same pair identified by the Swiss intelligence service which on Friday said it had stopped a Russian plot targeting the Spiez Laboratory near Bern.
Swiss newspapers on Saturday said the WADA offices and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in Lausanne had both been targeted.
Both organisations have been investigating widespread doping of Russian athletes, which has led to dozens of competitors being banned and the country being barred from international sports events.
The Tages-Anzeiger newspaper reported that Russian agents traveled to a meeting of the IOC, while the Russian military intelligence agency was suspected of carrying out the hacking attack on WADA.
The Russian Embassy in Bern on Saturday described the reports on the alleged WADA hacking as fairy tales, and an attempt to derail the reinstatement of Russia’s own anti-doping authority.
On Friday, WADA’s independent Compliance Review Committee recommended the reinstatement of the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) when WADA’s executive committee meets next on September 20.
Spiez lab
On Friday, the Swiss Federal Intelligence Service confirmed a Tages-Anzeiger and NRC Handelsblad news report that two Russian agents had been arrested in the Netherlands and expelled in March after a joint operation by Britain, the Netherlands and Switzerland.
Citing unnamed sources, the Swiss and Dutch papers said the suspected agents were heading for the Spiez laboratory near Bern which analyses chemical and biological weapons, including the nerve agent Novichok.
The Swiss foreign ministry said it had summoned the Russian ambassador to Switzerland to demand an “immediate end to spy activities on Swiss territory”. However, the Russian embassy has dismissed the allegations.
The Spiez lab has analysed samples of a nerve agent that Britain says Russia used to try to murder a former spy and suspected poison gas deployed in Syria.
The newspaper said the two suspects were not the same men accused by Britain last week of trying to kill Sergei Skripal and his daughter in Britain in March. Russia has denied that these two men have anything to do with the Skripal case.
Most Read Swiss Abroad
More
The citizenship obstacle course facing spouses of Swiss Abroad
Swiss committee wants to end government resignations during legislative term
This content was published on
Members of the Federal Council should no longer be able to leave office before the end of their term, according to a House of Representatives committee.
Swiss government seat: Ritter and Pfister nominated to succeed Amherd
This content was published on
Markus Ritter from St Gallen and Martin Pfister from Zug were officially nominated by the Centre Party on Friday to succeed Defence Minister Viola Amherd.
Top Swiss court rejects Russian request for administrative tax assistance
This content was published on
There is currently no reason to transmit banking information to the Russian Federation, the Swiss Federal Court has ruled.
After strike by radiologists, doctors demonstrate in Bern
This content was published on
Following a strike by radiology technicians in Fribourg, doctors, vets, dentists and chiropractors expressed their frustration on Friday outside parliament in the Swiss capital.
Eurovision and bleak world situation are top themes at Basel carnival
This content was published on
The Eurovision Song Contest and the gloomy global situation are among the main themes of Basel Fasnacht (carnival) this year.
Prices of Swiss investment properties continue to rise despite stagnating rents
This content was published on
Although rents in Switzerland stagnated or fell in the final quarter of last year, prices for investment properties continued to rise. Both apartment buildings and office properties have become more expensive.
Probe into wrong Swiss pension figures clears federal office
This content was published on
Employees of the Swiss Federal Social Insurance Office (FSIO) did not breach their duty of care when calculating pension prospects, an investigation has concluded.
This content was published on
Hotels in the southern Swiss canton of Ticino welcomed significantly more guests last December than in the same month of the previous year.
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
Russian agents ‘tried to spy on Swiss chemicals lab’
This content was published on
Media report: two Russian agents suspected of trying to spy on a Swiss laboratory were arrested in the Netherlands and expelled early this year.
This content was published on
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov says a Swiss laboratory has found that the nerve agent used to poison former Russian spy Sergei Skripal in Britain could be a substance never produced in the Soviet Union or Russia. The Swiss lab has declined to comment on Lavrov’s claims.
Russia doping report has ‘destabilised’ sports community
This content was published on
“We have to acknowledge that the system unveiled has been extremely destabilising for the entire community. Dealing with the aftermath is difficult for all of us,” the 46-year-old Swiss lawyer, who became director general last July, told a 700-strong audience of sports officials and government representatives. An investigation commissioned by WADA, conducted out by Canadian…
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.