Police have identified three seventeen-year-old suspects in an espionage case. One of them was paid by Russian hackers to share data. Last month, the arrests of two of the three teenagers were reported.
One of the two previously arrested suspects allegedly contacted a hacker group affiliated with the Russian government via Telegram. He instructed the other suspects to map Wi-Fi networks in The Hague and passed the information on to his client for payment.
According to the Public Prosecution Service (OM), the information could be used for digital espionage and cyberattacks. The OM believes the suspect was likely not pressured by Russia. “There are currently no indications of this.”
The new, third suspect has not been arrested due to his “limited role in the case,” the Public Prosecution Service wrote . Police did, however, confiscate the boy’s data carriers.
Due to the suspects’ ages, little information is being shared about the case. However, the Public Prosecution Service does say there are no indications that more people were involved.
Boys may have used ‘wifi sniffers’
The boys reportedly visited several international institutions and embassies in The Hague in August with a so-called “Wi-Fi sniffer.” This is an app or device that can identify Wi-Fi networks in buildings.
Some sniffers can also intercept digital data. They have reportedly been positioned in front of buildings belonging to Europol, Eurojust, and the Canadian embassy, ​​among others.
The two arrested suspects were brought before the examining magistrate, who extended their pretrial detention by fourteen days until October 27th. One of them had previously been held in a juvenile detention center, but he is now under house arrest. The other has been suspended with conditions and is therefore no longer under house arrest.
