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Estonia Summons Russian Ambassador over Border 'Abduction'


Estonia has summoned the Russian ambassador over what the Tallinn government says is the cross-border abduction of an Estonian intelligence officer operating on the Estonian side of the Russian border.

The Estonian Foreign Ministry says the security officer was seized Friday by unknown gunmen and taken into Russian territory. Moscow says the man was operating on its side of the border and is suspected of being a spy.

The incident comes at a time of rising tensions between Moscow and the NATO alliance, which includes the Baltic states of Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia.

Those tensions - spawned by Russia's role in the Ukraine crisis - rose further this week, when U.S. President Barack Obama visited the Estonian capital to reassure Baltic leaders of NATO protection from any Russian threat.

The Estonian Internal Security Service described the abducted officer as an anti-terrorism expert who was investigating cross-border crime when he was seized at gunpoint.

The Russian Federal Security Service says the officer was armed and carrying more than $6,000, along with recording devices and other intelligence-gathering materials when detained.

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