Russians had set up a car full of electronic equipment next to Organisation for the Prohibition for Chemical Weapons to hack its computer system
Dutch intelligence thwarted a Russian cyber attack targeting the global chemical weapons watchdog in April and expelled four Russian agents, the government said Thursday.
The Russians set up a car full of electronic equipment in the car park of a hotel next to the Organisation for the Prohibition for Chemical Weapons in The Hague in a bid to hack its computer system, it said. "The Dutch government finds the involvement of these intelligence operatives extremely worrisome," said Dutch Defence Minister Ank Bijleveld.
The Netherlands publicly identified the alleged Russian agents and said the operation was carried out by Russia's GRU military intelligence agency, Dutch officials said. Britain helped the Netherlands with the operation.
A laptop belonging to one of the four was linked to Brazil, Switzerland and Malaysia. The activities in Malaysia were related to the investigation into the 2014 shooting down of flight MH17 over Ukraine, Bijleveld added.
Detention of Russian extended
A Norwegian court on Thursday remanded a Russian citizen accused of spying for two more weeks. The man, identified as Mikhail Bochkarevs, is suspected of collecting information in the parliament.
'Halt reckless behaviour'
NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg on Thursday warned Russia to halt its "reckless" behaviour. Stoltenberg said, "Russia must stop its reckless pattern of behaviour, including the use of force against its neighbours."
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