Hungarian police detain several people in Budapest; media report Viktor Orbán's brother Áron among them

In brief

• Hungarian police detained several people in Budapest and two Pest County towns, with home searches under way.
• Media reports say Áron Orbán, Viktor Orbán's younger brother, is among those held on suspicion of people smuggling; police have not confirmed his name.
• Viktor Orbán called the detentions political revenge and said he was the real target.

Detentions in Budapest and Pest County

Hungarian police said on Monday that several people had been arrested in Budapest and in two towns in Pest County, and that searches of their homes were under way (Венгерские СМИ сообщили, что задержан брат Виктора Орбана – Meduza) (Брата Орбана затримали за підозрою у торгівлі людьми, експремʼєр відреагував – Українська правда). Officers said the operation was linked to two pending criminal proceedings and that further details would be released later in the day (Віктор Орбан відреагував на затримання свого брата – Європейська правда). Police did not name the detainees (В Угорщині затримали брата Выктора Орбана: що відомо – TSN).

Media reports name Áron Orbán

Hungarian media, citing the Kontroll news site, reported that Áron Orbán, the younger brother of Viktor Orbán, is among those held on suspicion of human trafficking (Арона Орбана, брата экс-премьера Венгрии, задержали по подозрению в контрабанде людей — СМИ – NV). Reports said he was suspected of using political contacts to arrange visas for Vietnamese nationals (У Венгрыі затрымалі брата Віктара Орбана – Nasza Niwa). Prime Minister Péter Magyar posted on social media that, according to press reports, Áron Orbán had been taken into custody on suspicion of people smuggling (Brat Viktora Orbana zatrzymany. Wielka akcja węgierskich służb – Onet). Official confirmation of his arrest has not been issued.

Property linked to his business

Telex reported that officers from the Counter-Terrorism Centre (TEK) appeared early on Monday at a property in the gated Fótliget estate, about 20 kilometres northeast of Budapest, reportedly linked to one of Áron Orbán's companies (V Maďarsku mali zadržať brata Viktora Orbána. Expremiér reaguje: Cieľom som ja, brat je len nástroj – Aktuality.sk) (Ungarn: Polizei nimmt offenbar Bruder von Ex-Regierungschef Virkto Orbán fest – ZEIT ONLINE). Officials from the national asset recovery office were also involved.

Orbán calls the arrests political revenge

Viktor Orbán said in a social media post that the detentions were a political settling of scores, describing his brother as a pawn and saying that he himself was the real target (Brata expremiéra Orbána zadržali. Líder Fideszu to označil za útok proti sebe – Pravda.sk) (Maďarské úřady zadržely bratra Orbána, podezřívají jej z pašování lidí – Seznam Zprávy). He also linked the move to an espionage scandal the government must address before parliament's national security committee. The arrests come as the government of Prime Minister Péter Magyar pursues former Fidesz officials; in recent weeks several former ministers and a former central bank governor have also been detained.