London Beautician Suspected of Abduction Scheme in Spy Ring Case

Five Bulgarian nationals suspected of being part of a Russian spy ring appeared in a London court on Tuesday to face accusations that they were collecting information intended to be useful to Moscow.

The accused—Orlin Roussev, 45, Bizer Dzhambazov, 41, Katrin Ivanova, 31, Ivan Stoyanov, 31, and Vanya Gaberova, 29—are suspected to have conducted reconnaissance for Russia in order to help Moscow with potential abduction plans for some targets, according to The Guardian. They have been remanded to custody before a hearing next month.

The five were arrested in February under the Official Secrets Act for alleged criminal activity, including conspiracy to conduct espionage. Roussev’s home was allegedly an “operating hub” for espionage for the team, though their operations spanned Europe, prosecutor Kathryn Selby said, according to the BBC.

Read more at The Daily Beast.