Russian spies ‘posed as plumbers in Davos’

DAVOS has been rocked by claims that Russian agents attempted to spy on the global business elite by posing as plumbers.

They were suspected of trying to install surveillance equipment in hotels and chalets used by official delegations during this week’s meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF).

The two Russians were picked up by local police in August, five months before the annual summit.

The pair, who said they were plumbers, were carrying diplomatic passports but had not been officially registered in the capital city of Bern. They claimed to be helping prepare the Russian delegation’s official site for the event.

A report in Zurich’s Tages-Anzeiger newspaper said Swiss officials suspected them of being spies. But police said no evidence of criminal activity was found and they were released.

Attendees at this year’s WEF meeting include Donald Trump and his daughter Ivanka, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and Hong Kong’s chief executive Carrie Lam. Prince Charles, Chancellor Sajid Javid and Bank of England Governor Mark Carney are also taking part.

The revelations will have unsettled many guests, the most important of whom spend millions of pounds each year on security for the four-day-long summit.

It is common to see some of the most high-profile guests flanked by security guards even within the Davos conference centre. Anyone entering the complex must go through airport-style checks.

Switzerland has become increasingly concerned about Russian espionage after a 2018 report from the Swiss Federal Intelligence Service said that one in four Russian diplomats based there was a spy.

Last night it was reported Scotland Yard had contacted Bill Browder, an American hedge fund manager described as Russian President Vladimir Putin’s number one enemy, to warn that he was at risk.