Cuba May Soon Extradite Russian Neo-Nazi

A Russian convicted of hate crimes has been arrested in Cuba and could soon be extradited to Moscow, a Russian diplomat in Havana told Agence France Presse Monday.

"Ultra-nationalist Russian Maxim Martsinkevich, wanted at the international level, was arrested January 17 in Cuba, and in the coming days a decision will be made about his extradition to Russia," the embassy official told AFP on condition of anonymity.

"For the moment, that's all we are authorized to say," he added.

A Russian court approved in absentia an arrest warrant for Martsinkevich, 29, on charges of "inciting hate."

He was accused of publishing extremist videos on the Vkontakte social website, according to a statement from Russian authorities published in Moscow.

According to the site LGBTQNation, Martsinkevich created an anti-gay group called "Occupy Pedophilia" through which he led beatings of members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community.

Martsinkevich had earlier founded a neo-Nazi group, Format-18, with the digits corresponding to the place in the alphabet of Adolf Hitler's initials. He was convicted and previously served jail time for inciting inter-ethnic hatred.