Spanish police detain Russian national wanted in USA

Spanish police have arrested a Russian computer programmer wanted in the United States for alleged cyber-espionage in the 2016 U.S. presidential election campaign.

Russian international TV channel, Russia Today (RT), said that Russian diplomatic sources have confirmed that Piotr Levashov was detained in Barcelona on Saturday and has been placed in preventive custody while the Spanish justice system decides whether or not he should face deportation to the United States.

The Russian consulate in Barcelona is in contact with Levashov and providing him legal aid.

Levashov's wife Maria Levashova told RT that her husband had been detained as the result of an arrest warrant issued by the United States which accused him of having taken part in an alleged hacking operation orchestrated by the Kremlin to facilitate then Republican candidate Donald Trump's victory in the presidential election last November.

Russia has denied being behind the cyber-intrusions, which targeted the Democratic National Committee and the private emails of Hillary Clinton's campaign Chairman John Podesta. Trump has repeatedly said he doubts the veracity of U.S. intelligence blaming Moscow for the hacks.