Belarusian suspected of espionage in France tried to explain what he was doing near the drone factory
He sent a 55-second video to his son, who is studying in Russia.
A 47-year-old Belarusian was detained in France on suspicion of espionage near the Delair drone factory in Toulouse. He is referred to in the case as M.A., reports Le Monde, citing case materials. Here's what became known from those materials.
According to the man's testimony during the investigation, on June 3, he found himself in the industrial zone of the commune of Labège, southeast of Toulouse, by chance – he was looking for a car workshop to repair a flat tire. This is how he allegedly ended up near the Delair factory, which specializes in the production of drones, including for the French and Ukrainian armies. Seeing drone tests in flight outside the company's premises, the Belarusian, by his own admission, was impressed and wanted to record this moment on video to share it with his son.
It was this 55-second video that became the main piece of evidence for the investigation: it was sent to a Russian phone number belonging to the detainee's son – a student around 20 years old, studying in Russia.
The man insists that his son remains the only person he showed these shots to.
When Delair technicians noticed the man filming and asked him to leave, he, by his own account, calmly complied and did not try to escape – as he did not believe he had done anything illegal. For a while, he remained in his car nearby, and then went to have lunch at a restaurant at the exit of the industrial zone, where he was detained.
Prior to this, on June 1, several people threw several Molotov cocktails at the factory building, which did not explode.
In France, the Belarusian earned money by reselling cars. He was born in 1978, has two children – one lives in Belarus, the other studies in Russia. He officially resides in Spain, but for about a year has been traveling through various European countries, which additionally attracts the attention of investigators, who admit that he could have provided similar "services" in other EU states.
The Belarusian's lawyer insists that the case is much more complicated than the prosecution presents it and requires additional checks.
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