Suspect in murder of top Ukrainian ex-official arrested in Germany
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A suspect in the murder of former Ukrainian top official Andriy Portnov has been arrested in the German town of Heinsberg, Spanish National Police reported on Feb. 25.
Portnov, a former appointee of pro-Kremlin ex-President Viktor Yanukovych, was shot dead by unidentified attackers outside the American School in Madrid on May 21 last year. Spanish newspaper El Pais reported that two or three people were believed to be involved in the attack while the motive remained unclear.
Police officers from Madrid arrived in Heinsberg, where they worked together with Germany's Federal Criminal Police to arrest the suspect, according to the statement.
Spanish police haven't disclosed the suspect's name, saying that this is "the person who shot outside the school entrance" in Madrid, where Portnov was killed.
A European arrest warrant and a European investigation order were issued for a search of the suspect's residence.
Portnov led the legal team of then-Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko from 2005 to 2010 and sat in the Ukrainian parliament between 2006 and 2010.
He served in Yanukovych's administration between 2010 and 2014, becoming the head of Yanukovych's main judiciary department and a deputy head of his administration.
The ex-official left Ukraine for Russia and later Austria after Yanukovych was ousted in the EuroMaidan Revolution in 2014, but returned to Ukraine in 2019. He was sanctioned by the U.S. in 2021 over allegations that he was involved in corruption.
Portnov fled Ukraine again in 2022 after Russia's full-scale invasion broke out, even though the travel ban for military-age men was already in effect.
The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) investigated Portnov over alleged involvement in the Russian occupation of Crimea. A treason case against him was opened in 2018, but was later closed.
