French ‘Space’ star complains of Moscow ‘ambush’ after plagiarism row

The French founder of the 1970s electronic band Space is complaining of having suffered a “hooligan ambush” after being briefly detained by police in Moscow over a dispute with a Russian singer he had accused of plagiarism. Filipp Kirkorov, the Russian, in turn accused Didier Marouani of extortion. The Frenchman was arrested with his lawyer at a bank where they had gone expecting to conclude an out-of-court settlement – but the whole thing was an apparent set-up by pranksters. The pair were released and the police apologised. Now Marouani wants Kirkorov brought to account. Space had a hit in the UK and Europe in 1977 with Magic Fly and have continued to enjoy success in eastern Europe.