Latvian police detain extortionist posing as Russian secret serviceman

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The Latvian State Police have arrested a foreigner in possession of a possibly fake ID showing him as an officer of the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) for an attempt to extort €50,000 from a Russian citizen staying in Latvia, the police told the press January 18.

The police said that at the end of last year they had received a complaint from a Russian citizen holding a permit for temporary residence in Latvia. The victim said that someone claiming to be an officer of the Russian Federal Security Service wanted to extort €50,000 from him. 

The extortionist was detained on January 9 when he arrived in Latvia to collect the money. He was caught when accepting from the victim the first payment in the amount of €10,000. A possibly fake ID of an officer of the Russian Federal Security Service was found in the accommodation where the suspect was staying in Riga.

The suspect is a 33-year-old Russian citizen. He has been taken into custody, and a criminal proceeding has been started over extortion.

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