US detains Hungarian national for evading Russian export ban

Written by BT/MTI

The US authorities have detained a Hungarian man on suspicion of engaging in illegal export activities to Russia, according to the US Department of Justice.

Bence Horvath, 46, a resident of Spain, was detained at San Francisco International Airport on Aug 23 as he entered the United States, the statement issued on Monday said, adding that he and his associates were suspected of criminally breaching the 2018 Export Control Reform Act.

The authorities said Horvath operated as part of an international intermediary and procurement network with direct contractual relations with Russian government institutions.

He and others operating in Spain, Serbia, Hungary, Latvia and other unnamed countries are suspected of procuring American technology and smuggling it to Russia.