The Irish Times newspaper revealed on Friday the name of a Russian diplomat being expelled from Ireland on suspicion of being involved in making false passports for Russian spies.
"Alexander Smirnov is the diplomat identified by the Garda [Irish police] investigation into the production of six fake passports for use by a U.S.-based spy ring," the Irish Times said, adding that Smirnov served as first secretary in the Russian embassy's consular section for many years.
The Irish Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday it decided to expel an unnamed diplomat after an investigation found that Moscow's intelligence service had used Irish passports to produce fake documents supplied to a Russian spy ring based in the U.S.
Smirnov is still believed to be in Ireland. He has two weeks to leave the country after the official notification.
Russia has condemned Ireland's decision as an "unfriendly act" and vowed a response to the expulsion.
Ireland expelled an Israeli diplomat from its Dublin embassy in June over the alleged use of fake passports by Israeli intelligence services in the assassination of a top Hamas official in Dubai.
In mid-December, Russia was embroiled in a diplomatic row with Britain after the British government expelled a Russian diplomat for espionage. Russia then requested the removal of a British diplomat.
MOSCOW, February 4 (RIA Novosti)
