Austrian Police Director Takacs is refusing to hand over his phone, a development discussed in the trial against Egisto Ott, where a boating trip led to phones potentially falling into the hands of Russian intelligence.

In the espionage trial against Egisto Ott, a former head of the Austrian Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution and Counterterrorism (BVT) stated that Ott was 'cultivated' by Russia 15 years ago.

Am Mittwoch werden erneut mehrere (Ex-)Beamte rund um ihre Erfahrungen mit dem angeklagten Egisto Ott befragt

The public prosecutor's office has unveiled sensitive chats involving Jan Marsalek in the Egisto Ott case, showing Marsalek forwarded Grozev's address to an agent just two hours after Ott's query. Ott disputes the authenticity of the chats.

The trial against Egisto Ott, a former official of the dissolved Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution and Counterterrorism (BVT), continued in Vienna on Thursday, facing charges of alleged espionage.

Federal Police Director Takacs testified in the ongoing Ott trial, discussing a boat accident and phone repairs, with allegations that phones of high-ranking officials were passed to the Russian FSB via Egisto Ott.

The trial of former Austrian intelligence officer Egisto Ott is proceeding with new witness interrogations.