Latvia intelligence suspect 3 of spying for foreign country

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COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — Latvia's authorities say three people have been detained suspected of activities that could help a foreign country, which it didn't identify.

The Latvian Security Police say three were detained Nov. 23, following a probe that started last month.

The Baltic News Service said Wednesday one of them was Jurijs Aleksejevs, a pro-Kremlin activist and a former city council member in Riga, the Latvian capital.

BNS said a Latvian court had decided to release the three, but they still remain suspects.

Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania have had several high-profile spy cases related to Russia since they gained independence in 1991. Russia has maintained an interest in the military and security affairs of the Baltic states that were previously under Soviet rule but joined NATO in 2004.