Russia Accused Over Spanish Spy

Russia's security services appeared to have got embroiled in a fresh row with a European country yesterday after Spain's intelligence service arrested an alleged double agent whom it accused of treason.

Roberto Flórez García, 41, a former employee of Spain's National Intelligence Centre (CNI), was arrested on Tenerife. Sources told the Europa Press news agency that the other country involved in the affair was Russia, though there was no formal confirmation. The Russian embassy in Madrid denied having anything to do with Mr Flórez.

The head of the CNI, Alberto Saiz, said the alleged double agent had sold information to an unnamed country between 2001 and 2004, when he was working for the intelligence service. He did not identify the country but said the case would affect collaboration with its intelligence services.

Mr Flórez was richly rewarded for handing over the identities of agents and information on the CNI's activities, he said. "This, logically, has caused internal damage ... to our internal structure, to the identities of some people and to some of our counterintelligence activities at the time," Mr Saiz said.

Spanish media reported that Mr Flórez had handed over the identities of dozens of agents.

Mr Saiz said that neither the national security of Spain nor that of Nato or the EU had been compromised.

Mr Flórez had previously hit the headlines after being accused of spying on trade unions, political parties and the election campaign of Peruvian president Alejandro Toledo between 1998 and 2000.