Six people were detained in Romania for allegedly plotting to take over the government and pull the country out of NATO, authorities said today, after ordering two Russian diplomats to leave on suspicion that they met with members of the “paramilitary group.”
The six suspects are accused of treason and were detained on Wednesday, Romania’s Directorate for Investigating Organized Crime and Terrorism (DIICOT) said in today’s statement.
Meanwhile, the Romanian Intelligence Service said two Russian diplomats had been “declared persona non grata” by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
“The two Russian diplomats carried out intelligence gathering actions in areas of strategic interest and took actions to support the group's anti-constitutional actions,” according to a statement today from the intelligence service.
The Russian Embassy in Romania said on its Facebook page that it “considers this decision unfounded, unfriendly and reserves the right to take countermeasures.”
Embassy employee Nicolai Balera told OCCRP’s member center, Public Record, that two diplomats are military attaches Alexander Ciuprina and Evgeni Ignatiev.
DIICOT alleged that the Romanian suspects met with "agents of a foreign power" both inside the country and in Russia.
“Two of the defendants traveled to Moscow, where they came into contact with people willing to support the organization's efforts to take over state power in Romania,” the agency said, adding that the suspects had discussed "Romania's withdrawal from the military alliance to which it is a party."
DIICOT added that the Romanian “criminal group” recruited followers and published video propaganda through “online platforms.” The agency did not specify the nature of the videos, or name the suspects, and did not respond to a request for comment.
A person close to the investigation, who spoke anonymously as they were not authorized to provide information to the media, confirmed that one of the Romanians in detention is Adrian Dinu.
Two weeks ago, in a video posted on YouTube, Dinu attacked Romanian politicians, accusing them of enforcing “compulsory vaccination,” and telling them: “You will pay soon.”
Dinu also posts videos to a website he registered called “opusnostrum,” and advocates for replacing the Romanian government with a new structure, including a “council of elders.” He has also posted a series of interviews with Radu Theodoru, a holocaust denying, pro-Russian, 101-year-old retired general.
Theodoru’s residence was searched by DIICOT on Wednesday, the same day the six people suspected of treason were arrested, although authorities have not said if the cases are related. The search warrant stated that authorities were looking for laptops and “data storage devices.”
The case involving allegations of Russian backing for a plot to overthrow the government comes at a critical time for Romania. The Constitutional Court has annulled the results of presidential elections in October due to irregularities, including apparent meddling by Russia. New elections are scheduled for May.
The far-right candidate Călin Georgescu won the annulled vote in a surprise upset after polls showed he only had a maximum of 5-percent support. Georgescu is now facing a criminal investigation into his campaign, including allegations of “spreading false information.”
The six alleged plotters detained by Romanian authorities this week planned to “change the country's name, flag, and anthem,” according to DIICOT. They also wanted to dissolve all political parties and form a new government, placing themselves in ministerial positions.
DIICOT asked a judge today to approve the arrests of the suspects. The agency seeks to jail four of them, and keep the other two under house arrest.
