Envoy: Azerbaijan arrests French citizen accused of espionage for 4 months

Azerbaijan's ambassador to France Leyla Abdullayeva has said that a French citizen accused of espionage, detained in December 2023 in Baku, has been arrested for four months by a court decision.

"Suspected spy Martin Ryan, a French citizen, was arrested on December 4, 2023," Abdullayeva told AFP in an interview, Report informs.

According to her, the French Embassy in Baku was informed about it and that he would be detained for four months by a court decision.

AFP reported that Ryan's father Richard said the family had had the opportunity to speak to him by phone.

"We spoke to him four times, for two minutes each time. He says he is being treated well and that he is able to communicate with his lawyer," he said.

Earlier, Leo Nicolian, a French journalist of Armenian origin, announced that the identity of one of the French spies arrested for espionage activities in Azerbaijan was unveiled.

He noted that "Martin Ryan was arrested in Baku on December 4. Martin Ryan, CEO of the [Baku-based company] Merkorama LLC, is accused of espionage. He was used (manipulated) by the French agent 2 DGSE (General Directorate of Foreign Intelligence), who involved him in secret cooperation, after which he was expelled from Baku."

French citizen Martin Ryan, who was arrested for spying for French intelligence, is currently under arrest in Baku.