Two Romanian men have appeared in Tartu County Court accused of taking hostages and demanding €1 million from a person working in IT and cryptocurrency.

Constantin Ligi and Ionut-Dorin Soimosan deny the charges, which prosecutors say relate to a four-member group that travelled to Estonia specifically to carry out the crime.

According to the Prosecutor's Office, three masked men entered a Tartu apartment on the evening of March 10 last year, tied up four people and threatened them with a firearm and what they claimed was a bomb.

The hostages were relatives of the intended extortion target, whom the attackers contacted by video call to demand payment.

The men eventually left the apartment, warning the victims not to leave or contact police, before fleeing Estonia and using false information and vehicle changes to conceal their movements.

Prosecutor Lauriine Tšitškan described the case as an example of "crime-as-a-service," in which international organized crime networks carry out offences for clients.

Four suspects were arrested in different countries this year, with Ligi and Soimosan the first to be extradited to Estonia.

At the preliminary hearing, both sought release from custody: Ligi cited his role as his family's sole breadwinner in Germany, while Soimosan said he needed to manage his business in Malta.

The prosecutor opposed their release, citing nine previous convictions for Ligi and five for Soimosan and questioned how Soimosan could attend future hearings if, as he indicated, authorities in Malta would confiscate his passport upon his return.

Judge Heli Sillaots is expected to rule on their continued detention later on Thursday.

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