A British investment fund manager who is a vocal critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin was arrested and then released by Spanish police on Tuesday.
Bill Browder, who heads investment fund Hermitage Capital Management, has led a campaign to expose corruption and punish Russian officials he blames for the 2009 death of Sergei Magnitsky, who he employed as a lawyer.
On Wednesday morning, he tweeted that he had been arrested by police in Madrid. He blamed Russia for the arrest warrant, which cited him for fraud.
"In the back of the Spanish police car going to station on the Russian arrest warrant. They won't tell me which station," Browder sent from his Twitter account, including a photo of two police officers in the front of a squad car.
Good news. Spanish National Police just released me after Interpol General Secretary in Lyon advised them not to honor the new Russian Interpol Red Notice. This is the 6th time that Russia has abused Interpol in my case pic.twitter.com/ZonzXizvIJ
— Bill Browder (@Billbrowder) May 30, 2018
Soon after, he tweeted that he had been released "after Interpol General Secretary in Lyon advised them not to honor the new Russian Interpol Red Notice."
A Spanish police source said that Mr Browder was released because the Interpol arrest warrant was no longer valid. The source could not confirm that the Interpol arrest warrant came from Russia. Neither could she confirm why the arrest warrant was no longer valid.