Netherlands Detains 2 Teens on Suspicion of Spying for Pro-Russia Hackers
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Netherlands Detains 2 Teens on Suspicion of Spying for Pro-Russia Hackers
Two 17-year-old boys were arrested in the Netherlands this week on suspicion of espionage for a foreign power. A judge ordered one teen to be placed in pre-trial detention and the other under house arrest. Dutch media cited reports that the boys were contacted via Telegram by unidentified pro-Russian hacker networks. The arrests come amid broader security concerns over Russia’s operations in Europe as NATO and EU nations deepen scrutiny of Russian hacking, surveillance and influence networks.
A judge ordered one teen to be placed in pre-trial detention and the other under house arrest, Dutch Public Prosecution Service spokeswoman Brechtje van de Moosdijk told AFP.
“They were arrested on suspicions that are linked to government-sponsored interference,” Reuters quoted van de Moosdijk as saying.
The Dutch Public Prosecution Service declined to disclose further details given the boys’ age.
Dutch media cited reports that the boys were contacted via Telegram by unidentified pro-Russian hacker networks.
The NL Times said the arrests followed a tip from the Dutch domestic intelligence service AIVD on Monday.
Experts told the outlet that the teens could face up to eight years in prison after the Dutch parliament strengthened laws criminalizing digital and foreign interference earlier this year.
According to the news outlets De Telegraaf and DutchNews, the father of one suspect said his son is accused of carrying a “Wi-Fi sniffer” device past sensitive buildings in The Hague.
He was reportedly accused of carrying a so-called “Wi-Fi sniffer” device past the offices of Europol, Eurojust and the Canadian Embassy in The Hague allegedly intercepting wireless data.
Eurojust, an agency for criminal justice cooperation, hosts the joint investigation team that probes alleged Russian war crimes in the invasion of Ukraine.
Van de Moosdijk, from the public prosecution service, told AFP there would be a new hearing behind closed doors in two weeks.
Relations between Russia and the Netherlands have long been strained, especially since the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 over eastern Ukraine in 2014, which killed all 298 people on board, 193 of whom were Dutch.
Dutch courts and the international tribunal have held Russia or Russian-linked actors accountable for the plane’s downing.
The 2025 espionage arrests come amid broader security concerns over Russia’s operations in Europe, as NATO and EU nations deepen scrutiny of Russian hacking, surveillance and influence networks.
AFP contributed reporting.
Dutch teenagers arrested on suspicion of spying for Russia, report says
Two 17-year-olds arrested in Netherlands on suspicion of spying for pro-Russian hackers. 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.
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.
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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)