An analyst who in 2016 compiled information about possible links between Donald Trump and Russia for Democratic Party-funded opposition research has been arrested by U.S. authorities, the New York Times reported.
Igor Danchenko, a Russian analyst, was arrested as part of the investigation by U.S. federal special counsel John H. Durham, who was appointed by former President Trump to look into the Russia investigation for misconduct.
The main researcher for the “Steele Dossier,” Danchenko gathered rumors and unproven allegations suggesting that Trump and his 2016 campaign team were colluding with Russian officials in a secret operation to secure a victory against Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton.
It’s not clear what charges Danchenko may be facing, the Associated Press reported.
The Department of Justice said that Danchenko was taken into custody on Thursday morning. He will appear in a Virginia federal court on Thursday afternoon.
Danchenko worked for former British spy Christopher Steele, who oversaw the compilation of the dossier. Some of its claims ended up being used in an FBI wiretap application that targeted a former Trump advisor in October 2016.
Parts of the dossier were released by Buzzfeed in January 2017, shortly before Trump took office, leading to a media frenzy and unproven charges by opponents that the Trump campaign colluded with Russia.
The most significant allegations in the dossier, written by Steele, have never been proven and some have been disproven.
Danchenko was previously interviewed by the FBI in 2017 when they were investigating the dossier’s claims.