Three accused spies for the Kremlin were arrested in NATO member Albania on Saturday after two guards at a military base were attacked with a suspected chemical agent.
Two Russians and a Ukrainian national were arrested for alleged espionage at the Chekin Military Factory, a weapons manufacturing plant in southern Albania, the Albanian Defense Ministry said late Saturday. The first Russian suspect – a 24-year-old man identified only as MZ – was arrested after entering the factory premises in Grams, about 50 miles south of the capital, Tirana, and taking photographs, the ministry said in a statement. Two military guards were injured by a “neo-paralytic spray” used by the Russians while resisting arrest, according to the ministry. They were taken to a military hospital for medical attention. Police quickly set up checkpoints and blocked a vehicle with the other two suspects inside. NYPD OFFICER CHARGED WITH SPYING FOR FEDERAL TRIAL NEXT MONTH AFTER RELEASED ON $2 MILLION BOND The second Russian suspect – a 33-year-old woman identified as ST – and a 25-year-old Ukrainian man identified as F.A. were arrested outside the compound, the ministry said. Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama speaks at a joint press conference with his Spanish counterpart Pedro Sanchez, not pictured, in Tirana, Albania, on August 1, 2022. (Gent Onuzi/Xinhua via Getty Images) “Three people were being escorted by the police who in cooperation with other institutions are investigating the case,” the statement said, adding that the military police, army intelligence police and civil and counter-terrorism police were coordinating the case. The military factory in Gramsh was opened in 1962 to produce AK-47 or Kalashnikov rifles. After the fall of communism in 1990, it stopped production and instead began dismantling old Kalashnikovs and other small arms. He also repairs other military weapons. British soldiers take part in the Swift Response 22 military exercise at the Krivolak Military Training Center in Negotino, central North Macedonia, on May 12, 2022. The exercise, which involves around 4,600 troops from North Macedonia, Albania, Montenegro, Greece , Italy, as well as France, the UK and the US, is intended to show that NATO forces can be deployed and fully cooperated. (ROBERT ATANASOVSKI/AFP via Getty Images) “So proud of the military guards who neutralized three people suspected of espionage,” Prime Minister Edi Rama tweeted, adding: “Now let’s wait for the full clarification of this fact.” Politico noted that the suspects entered Albania as tourists under a loophole that allows Russians to enter the country during the summer holiday season without visas — a rule that came under scrutiny after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine earlier this year. Last year, two other suspected Kremlin spies entered Albania in the same way before being captured after being spotted by drone outside the former communist Kučova air base, which NATO has reportedly recently begun converting from an aircraft graveyard to a modern station for business in the Western Balkans. Albania, a NATO member since 2009, has strongly denounced Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and has joined European Union and US sanctions against Moscow. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, left, Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama, center, and Spanish President Pedro Sanchez, right, at the opening ceremony of the NATO Summit in Madrid, Spain. (Celestino Arce/NurPhoto via Getty Images) During a meeting with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg last month, Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama said he and his country “stand firmly in full solidarity with Ukraine and of course, It goes without saying that our support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, within Ukraine’s internationally recognized borders, is as firm as ever,” according to Politico. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “It is important to continue our conversation about the situation, as well as the obligations we have in the Western Balkans to precisely prevent any escalation and prevent any bad influence from becoming a problem for our region,” Rama added. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Danielle Wallace is a reporter for Fox News Digital covering politics, crime, police and more. Story tips can be sent to [email protected] and on Twitter: @danimwallace.