Prague, July 20 (CTK) – Russian Maria Butina, who was detained in the United States on suspicion of cooperating with the Russian intelligence service, was in Prague five years ago, the Aktualne.cz server wrote on Friday.
Butina attended a general meeting of the Lex civic association defending the rights of firearm holders in the Czech Republic, the server writes.
In the USA, Butina attended events held by the National Rifle Association of America (NRA) non-profit organisation that advocates gun rights.
Butina met Interior Ministry representative Milena Backovska in Prague and the Lex association organised a sightseeing and a visit to the Parabellum Kvetnice shooting range for her, Aktualne.cz writes.
BIS civilian intelligence service spokesman Ladislav Sticha told the server that the intelligence knew about Butina’s visit to the Czech Republic. Her trip was publicly known and she did not pose a security risk, he added.
Lex did not comment on the case.
The U.S. authorities detained Butina in Washington on Sunday on suspicion of being a Russian government agent. If found guilty, she faces up to ten years in prison. She was not charged with espionage and affiliation with a foreign intelligence service.
According to documents submitted to the court, Butina was working with two unnamed U.S. citizens and one Russian official with whom she attempted to influence U.S. politics and infiltrate the organisations defending the right to possess firearms.
Russian diplomacy claims that Butina was arrested based on a political order and that the charges brought against her are fabricated.
