Australia’s spy chiefs have arrested a Russian-born Australian couple in Brisbane and accused them of spying for Vladimir Putin’s regime.
The wife serves as a private in the Australian Defence Force, but allegedly attempted to share classified information with Russian authorities during illicit trips abroad.
ASIO Director-General Mike Burgess revealed details of the arrests at a joint press conference with the Australian Federal Police on Friday morning.
The woman is 40 years old and her husband is 62. They were arrested on Thursday morning at their home in Everton Park in Brisbane.
They have each been charged with one count of preparation for espionage, which carries a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison.
They will appear in Brisbane Magistrates Court later on Friday.
The AFP will allege the individuals worked together to access Australian Defence Force material relating to Australia’s national security interests.
‘We allege that the woman was making an undeclared trip to “Russia, while on long-term leave from the Australian Defence Force,” Commissioner Reece Kershaw told AFP.
‘We allege that while in Russia, she instructed her husband, who remained in Australia, on how to log into her official work account from their home in Brisbane.
‘We claim that her husband accessed the requested material and sent it to his wife in Russia. We claim that they were seeking this information with the intention of providing it to the Russian authorities.
‘Whether that information was provided remains a key focus of our investigation.’
More to come