BEACH BASE
Inside ‘Russian spy ring’ HQ hiding in GREAT YARMOUTH hotel that was raided by ‘men in black’ squad
A GREAT Yarmouth hotel used as an HQ by a suspected Russian spy ring was raided by "men in black", neighbours say.
Orlin Roussev, 45, is understood to have been arrested at the three-star Haydee Hotel in February earlier this year.
11
11
11
11
11
11
Shocked neighbours say he was detained by groups of masked men dressed in black, who then spent a further two days searching the the seemingly unlikely base.
Locals also recall seeing a scenes of crime tent erected on the doorstep of the hotel following the counter-terrorism police raid.
Roussev, who is said to have moved to the UK in 2009, allegedly ran a forgery operation from his room in the guesthouse.
Cops allegedly discovered forgery kit when they raided the eight-room address.
Read more news
His profile on LinkedIn says that he ran a signals intelligence business and that he previously advised pro-Kremlin politician Petar Dimitrov.
The signals intelligence expert also included "007" in one of his email addresses, reports.
Neighbours say they had not seen anyone come in or out of the hotel for months, and did not believe it had been open for business since at least last year.
Wooden blinds remained drawn across the front downstairs windows and curtains were closed on the upper two storeys yesterday.
Most read in The Sun
Dead plants were visible in two hanging baskets and two wall mounted plant holders, with two rusting metal tables and empty chairs at the front of the Haydee.
Great Yarmouth, a family hot spot, is filled with guesthouses along its seafront.
Roussev is said to have been living at the guesthouse, located close to the Britannia Pier.
It comes after the Salisbury nerve agent attack, when Alexander Petrov and Ruslan Boshirov, later revealed to be Dr Alexander Mishkin and Colonel Anatoliy Chepiga, targeted Sergei and Yulia Skripal.
They bizarrely claimed to have been interested in the history of the local area, praising Salisbury Cathedral for its "123-metre spire and its clock".
Meanwhile, the Haydee is based in a Victorian terrace and painted white and blue, was sold on September 16, 2021, for £220,000, according to Land Registry records.
Companies House records confirm the owner is a Bulgarian national and give the hotel’s address at 27 Princes Road, Great Yarmouth, as the registered office of their business. There is no suggestion of their involvement in the alleged spy ring.
Moira Scott, a bar manager at the family-owned Prom Hotel opposite the Haydee, recalled seeing security personnel descending on the hotel.
She said: "There was a big scenes of crime tent outside the door of the Haydee and there were a load of plain police vans with blacked out windows.
"My first reaction was that someone had been murdered. There was a lot of men dressed in black clothes with their faces covered who were coming and going.
"They had balaclavas on as if they didn’t want anyone to recognise them which I thought was a bit weird. I couldn’t see their faces.
“At one stage a group of about six of the men walked over towards the seafront, and I wondered what they were doing.
"The tent was still here the next day with guys going in and out, but by the third day it was gone, so it must have been there a day and a half or so.
"I used to know who owned the hotel 20 years ago, but it has changed hands since then. I used to see people coming and going from there, but I must admit I haven’t seen anyone at the building for a long time."
Mrs Scott, a mother-of-three with two grandchildren, did not recognise Roussev when shown his picture.
It comes as police also raided a property in Harrow, North West London, and arrested a further two suspected spies.
Katrin Ivanova, 31, and Bizer Dzhambazov, 41, are understood to have moved to the suburban area more than 10 years ago.
The couple had embedded themselves into the community, gifting cakes and pies to their neighbours.
Dzhambazov has reportedly worked as a hospital driver, while Ivanova worked as a private sector laboratory assistant.
The pair also ran a Bulgarian community organisation, which introduces Bulgarians into the "culture and norms of British society".
But they were snatched by anti-terror cops in February after their cover was blown - and have been in custody ever since.
The three suspected spies have been charged with holding UK, Bulgarian, French, Italian, Spanish, Croatian, Slovenian, Greek and Czech passports with "improper intention".
The trio are accused of posing as journalists with forged press cards and clothing branded with the logos of the Discovery and National Geographic channels.
They also allegedly used the uniforms for surveillance operations against targets in London, Germany and Montenegro.
All three are set to go on trial at the Old Bailey in London in January.
READ MORE SUN STORIES
A 31-year-old man from west London and a 29-year-old woman from north London have also been arrested.
A Met Police spokesperson said: "On 8 February 2023, officers from the Met’s Specialist Operations arrested five people on suspicion of an offence under the Official Secrets Act 1911."
11
11
11
11
11
Topics