Italian officer sentenced to 30 years in jail over spying for Russia

By Burak Bir

LONDON (AA) - An Italian navy officer has been sentenced to 30 years in prison for selling secrets to Russia.

A military court in Rome sentenced Walter Biot for spying for Russia, including selling top secret documents, according to media reports Thursday.

Military prosecutors had asked for a life sentence because he took pictures of 19 confidential NATO documents, including those marked "Top Secret."

"Biot traded secret documents and showed a high degree of infidelity and capacity for crime," said prosecutors, according to the Italian news agency, ANSA.

Biot, 56, was arrested in March 2021 while he was handing information to Russian Embassy staff in a Rome car park.

Italy later expelled two embassy officials for the incident.