NPR's Michele Kelemen reports from Moscow that Spanish police today acted on an international arrest warrant and detained Russian media tycoon Vladimir Gusinsky at his villa in southern Spain. He was taken to Madrid for a hearing before the National Court, which handles extradition cases. Russian prosecutors have charged Gusinsky with embezzlement, alleging that he misrepresented the assets of his Media-Most conglomerate in order to obtain a loan from Russia's mainly state-owned gas monopoly. Gusinsky's supporters deny the charges and say the Kremlin is hounding him because his NTV television network and other media outlets have been sharply critical of President Vladimir Putin.
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