Belarus detains ‘terrorist’ behind attempted sabotage at air base – Lukashenko

(Reuters) -Belarus detained on Tuesday what it said was a “terrorist” and more than 20 accomplices working with Ukrainian and U.S. intelligence services over attempted sabotage at a Belarusian air field, President Alexander Lukashenko was cited as saying.

Belarusian anti-government activists said last month they had blown up a sophisticated Russian military surveillance aircraft in a drone attack at an airfield near the Belarusian capital Minsk, a claim disputed by Moscow and Minsk.

“The Security Service of Ukraine, the leadership of the CIA, behind closed doors, are carrying out an operation against the Republic of Belarus. A terrorist was trained,” the Belta news agency quoted Lukashenko as saying.

Lukashenko said the aircraft had suffered only superficial damage in the attack, which was carried out using a “small drone”, Belta reported.

The suspect detained over the attack against the Beriev A-50 surveillance plane is a dual Russian-Ukrainian national, Belta also quoted Lukashenko as saying. More than 20 people involved in the incident have been arrested so far, while other suspects are still hiding abroad, he added.

He said he had ordered a nationwide “sweep” to round up other saboteurs involved in attacks inside the country.

Lukashenko, who is a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin and allowed Putin to use Belarus as a launchpad to invade Ukraine last February, repeated his position that Belarus would not be “dragged into” the conflict.

“If you think that by throwing down this challenge, you will drag us into a war tomorrow, which is already raging across over Europe today, you are mistaken,” Belta quoted Lukashenko as saying in comments directed at Kyiv and Washington.

He has previously said Belarus would only enter the war directly if its territory came under attack from Ukraine.

Kyiv has long been concerned about a new invasion from Belarusian territory, a risk that forces it to keep protecting its northern border at a time when its troops are at full stretch fighting Russia in its south and east.

(Reporting by Reuters. Writing by Felix Light and Jake Cordell; Editing by Gareth Jones and Mark Trevelyan)