The target is hooked and in love.. we slowly push for a date

Accused 'in honeytrap spies plot on journo'

- EMILY PENNINK

A RUSSIAN agent discussed deploying a "red-hot swinger" in a honeytrap spy plot against a journalist, a court has heard.

"Rupert Ticz", aka Austrian national Jan Marsalek, exchanged a series of messages with lead spy Orlin Roussev about the operation on Bellingcat investigative journalist Christo Grozev in 2021, the Old Bailey heard.

In the encrypted chat, the pair were said to discuss engineering a romance between Mr Grozev, 64, and Londonbased beautician Vanya Gaberova, 30.

She had travelled to Valencia in Spain as part of a team to spy on Mr Grozev at a conference in the Palace Hotel that was also attended by Bellingcat founder Eliot Higgins, jurors were told. Roussev had noted that Mr Grozev quickly accepted a Facebook friend request from Gaberova.

On September 28, 2021, he told Marsalek that their target seemed "hooked and in love with Vanya".