Greek authorities arrest an air force officer for leaking state secrets, following a tip-off from a Western ally about suspected links to Chinese intelligence.
ATHENS: Greek defence authorities have arrested a member of the country’s armed forces on suspicion of espionage with alleged links to China.
The Greek National Defence General Staff (GEETHA) announced the arrest on Thursday, stating the individual was accused of leaking “secret information” to “third parties”.
The arrest followed a tip-off from a Western national security agency two months ago. Sources close to the investigation said the agency warned that “highly sensitive” information was being leaked to China by a Greek military member.
The suspect, a member of the Greek Air Force based in the wider Athens region, was subsequently placed under close surveillance. Authorities moved to arrest him on suspicion he intended to leak even more sensitive information to his foreign handler, who is allegedly linked with China.
“The arrest took place within a military area, in cooperation and coordination with other state services,” GEETHA said in a press release. The suspect’s name was not disclosed, but sources said he confessed to the actions following his arrest.
There was no immediate response from China to the allegations. – Reuters
