Nord Stream bomb suspect arrested while working on movie about attack: Media

The Ukrainian suspect had previously been detained in Poland over his alleged role in destroying the pipelines.(AFP) — A Ukrainian man arrested in connection with the Nord Stream pipeline bombing was detained while working on a Hollywood movie about the attack starring Adrien Brody and Sean Penn, a report said Thursday.Police in Pula, Croatia, arrested Volodymyr Zhuravlyov on Wednesday under a European arrest warrant issued by Germany, which is seeking his extradition.German prosecutors say Zhuravlyov is a trained diver and accuse him of helping plant explosives on the Baltic Sea energy link between Russia and Germany, destroying three of the four pipelines in 2022.Germany’s Legal Tribune Online reported that he was arrested while working on the set of the movie “Snake Island” by U.S. director Doug Liman, known for “The Bourne Identity,” with Brody and three-time Oscar winner Penn.Zhuravlyov worked as an adviser on the film, according to media reports that AFP was unable to immediately verify with German or Croatian authorities.The Ukrainian suspect had previously been detained in Poland over his alleged role in destroying the pipelines.But Polish authorities refused to extradite him and released him, ruling that any such Ukrainian attack would have been a legitimate act of war rather than a crime.The Baltic Sea sabotage attack came months after Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.German investigators believe the attack was ordered by a Ukrainian state agency with the aim of depriving Russia of future energy revenue that could be used to finance its war in Ukraine.Prosecutors allege Zhuravlyov worked closely with Sergiy Kuznetsov, another Ukrainian man who was arrested in Italy last year before being extradited to Germany.The case is politically awkward for Germany and Ukraine because Berlin has strongly backed Kyiv in its fight against Russia.German government officials, when asked about the case, have pointed to the independence of the judiciary.Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said his government knew nothing about any plan to blow up the pipelines.Subscribe to our free newslettersOur weekly newsletter Closing Arguments offers the latest about ongoing trials, major litigation and rulings in courthouses around the U.S. and the world, while the monthly Under the Lights dishes the legal dirt from Hollywood, sports, Big Tech and the arts.Additional Reads