Romanian court orders arrest in absentia of suspect accused of preparing sabotage near Bucharest

The Bucharest Court of Appeal has ordered the arrest in absentia of 35-year-old Cuban national Oemis Duruti Romagosa on a charge of incitement to acts of sabotage. Romanian news agencies AGERPRES and News.ro reported this, citing the Directorate for Investigating Organised Crime and Terrorism (DIICOT). Both reports cite the same institutional source for the allegation. Flank has found no independent confirmation of the prosecution's allegations and has not directly verified the court order. This is a developing story and further information may be added.

Ruling dates from 2 November; arrest has yet to take place

The prosecution's request received court approval on 2 November 2026, according to Romania's Directorate for Investigating Organised Crime and Terrorism (DIICOT), whose statement was cited by both agencies. News.ro specifies that the detention order is for 30 days from the date it is executed. The announcement of the ruling on 5 November therefore does not mean that Romagosa has already been detained. According to AGERPRES, his permanent address is in Russia and Romanian police have placed him on an international wanted list.

According to the prosecution, in June–July 2024 Romagosa offered Colombian national Murillo Diosa Luis Alfonso money to travel to Romania, survey sites and prepare to destroy them through arson or explosions. Investigators allege that police intervention thwarted the plan.

Alleged targets include oil wells and a gas facility

Investigators allege that four targets were identified in Ilfov County near Bucharest. According to investigators, the targeted facilities included two oil wells, a natural gas pressure regulation and metering station, and a warehouse for recyclable waste, Romanian news agency AGERPRES reports. The wells are described as oil-producing rather than gas-producing facilities.

The same agency reports that the Colombian participant's conviction became final on 22 September 2025 and that he is serving six years in prison for attempted acts of sabotage. Those proceedings are separate from the case against Romagosa. The arrest warrant issued in absentia for the Cuban national is not a conviction and does not establish his guilt.

US authorities allege that Romagosa is linked to Russian intelligence services

The US Department of Justice describes Romagosa as a representative of the Russian intelligence services in a statement cited by AGERPRES. This is an official allegation, not an independently established intelligence affiliation. His permanent address in Russia does not in itself prove such an affiliation.

AGERPRES and News.ro also report investigations into him in Latvia, Poland and Czechia. The existence of these proceedings does not establish a common operation or a single network linking the cases.

In Flank's assessment, the issue of regional significance is the alleged recruitment of an outside operative to carry out physical sabotage against civilian infrastructure. The connection to Bulgaria is indirect: the case concerns a neighbouring country and NATO ally. There is no information about Bulgarian sites or participants. Without information on the capacity and purpose of the targeted facilities, the potential scale of damage cannot be assessed.