THE HAGUE (Reuters) -Two teenagers were arrested in the Netherlands earlier this week on suspicion of spying for pro-Russian hackers, Dutch daily the Telegraaf reported on Friday.
The Dutch prosecution service confirmed two 17-year-olds were arrested on Monday.
“They were arrested on suspicions that are linked to government-sponsored interference,” prosecution spokesperson Brechtje van de Moosdijk said, adding that further information could not be given as the suspects are minors.
Citing the father of one of the boys, the Telegraaf reported that they had been contacted by pro-Russian hackers on the Telegram messaging service.
The father told the paper the boys are accused of spying because they had walked round areas of The Hague that house the European police organisation Europol and the Eurojust agency for criminal justice cooperation, as well as many embassies, with a device or app designed to capture data sent over digital networks.
Eurojust helped set up and house a joint investigation team together with Ukraine, European Union member states, Europol and the International Criminal Court which looks at alleged Russian crimes following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
The Dutch intelligence agency AIVD declined to comment on the details reported by the Telegraaf. A lawyer for one of the suspects did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
(Reporting by Stephanie van den Berg; Editing by Aidan Lewis)
