Kross Wanted Notices Removed from Interpol Site
A wanted notice for Eerik-Niiles Kross posted on the Interpol website on the eve of local election in October, has been taken down.
Kross, who led IRL's charge on the Tallinn City Council in October, told Kuku radio today that he does not know if it's a technical error or if the warrant has been officially retracted.
Kaarel Kuusk, a representative of the Central Criminal Police said they currently have no further information, but the will soon meet representatives of Interpol.
Kross is wanted by Russian authorities for allegedly orchestrating the hijacking of a ship in 2009. Russia tried to post a notice of its warrant already last year, but Interpol initially blocked it while an independent committee examined the case, reported uudised.err.ee.
Kross, who denies the accusation, blamed the notice on Russian meddling, calling it a secret service provocation.
The ship, the Arctic Sea, was transporting 1.3 million pounds worth of timber from Finland to Algeria when it disappeared and the crew was seized on July 24, 2009. It resurfaced on August 17 of that year.
Observers have speculated that the vessel had, in fact, not been carrying timber, but weapons destined for Iran.
In 2010 and 2011, Russian courts sentenced eight men, some from Estonia and Latvia, to between 5 and 12 years in prison for hijacking the Arctic Sea.
One defendant allegedly said that Kross had organized the operation.