"Chronic spy-mania" continues in Georgia

Last month, Georgian authorities arrested 13 people suspected of spying for Russia, leading Moscow to accuse Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili of suffering from "chronic spy-mania." Now, the spy-mania continues: Georgia has arrested six more people suspected of being agents for Russia. Officials in the country have also accused the spies of being behind a series of explosions, including one outside the U.S. embassy in Tbilisi in September. Eka Zguladze, deputy interior minister, said the four men and two women—all Georgian citizens—had been recruited by the Russian military. Saakashvili praised the interior ministry for the arrests. "We have managed to prevent very serious terror attacks," he said. The Russian foreign ministry made no immediate comment, but the espionage claims are expected to ratchet up the tension between Georgia and Russia, which fought a brief but bitter war in 2008.

The Guardian