What is the latest on the Nord Stream case?
The Court of Cassation in Rome is the final venue for the 49-year-old suspect to block extradition to Germany, where federal prosecutors want to charge him with jointly causing an explosion and committing anti-constitutional sabotage. A ruling was expected late Wednesday.
German investigators believe the man was one of the masterminds behind the underwater blasts that destroyed parts of the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines.
The suspect was arrested in late August while on holiday with his family on Italy’s Adriatic coast. A lower appeals court has already approved his extradition. If confirmed, he could be transferred to Germany by the end of next month and tried in Hamburg.
Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline as controversial as ever
Four leaks were later found in three of the four pipeline strands. Nord Stream 1 had been supplying gas to Germany, while Nord Stream 2 had never gone into service following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
A second Ukrainian suspect — a 46-year-old trained diver — remains in custody in Poland, where authorities are still considering Germany’s request for extradition.
The Nord Stream attacks remain one of Europe’s most politically sensitive unsolved cases, with investigators in several countries pursuing separate but coordinated probes.
Edited by: Wesley Rahn
Richard Connor Reporting on stories from around the world, with a particular focus on Europe — especially