MOSCOW, August 31 - RAPSI. The Spanish police have released Russian fugitive Pyotr Silaev, suspected of organizing an anarchist/ antifascists attack on the Khimky city administration building in Russia in the summer of 2010, Kommersant daily reports.
A Spanish court will make a decision regarding Silaev's extradition soon. Finland has recognized Silaev as a political refugee and intends to obstruct his extradition to Russia.
Silaev was arrested in Spain on August 21. A statement issued on August 23 by the Policia Nacional, Spain's federal police agency, stated that a 27-year-old Russian wanted in his home country on charges of arms and explosives possession had been arrested.
While the statement withheld the defendant's name, referring to him instead by the initials P.S., his identity has been confirmed by various news sources.
Police found Silaev in a Granada hotel, informed him of the charges against him, and then arrested him. He was taken to the police station and then processed based on his international arrest warrant and extradition order.
Spain's national court, the Audiencia Nacional, will hear his extradition case.
Silaev is wanted along with other suspects in connection with an attack on Moscow suburb Khimki's administration building. The attack, which resulted in 395,000 rubles ($12,500) in damage, was reportedly in response to the administration's support for the construction of a highway through the local forest.
According to RIA Novosti, on July 28, 2010 about 90 masked men pelted the Khimki administration building with fire crackers and empty bottles, while chanting slogans in protection of Khimki forest. The protest lasted only five minutes or so before the men quietly departed.
Eventually Silaev was released after the Finish consulate's efforts. Now he will be waiting to hear his extradition ruling. The Finish Foreign Ministry told Kommersant that they had delivered the case materials testifying to Silaev's persecution on political grounds to the Spanish authorities, and stressed that Finland intends to block his extradition.