Driven, not coerced: The case of teenagers spying for Russia takes a new turn
The Dutch public prosecutor's office stated that there is no evidence that Russia exerted pressure on three teenagers accused of spying for it. The public prosecution office (OM) clarified on Friday, in response to what was published by the newspaper De Telegraaf, that reports claiming that Russian hackers threatened one of the boys using his personal information are not based on any evidence. The three suspects are 17 years old, two of them were arrested last month and later released, while one remains under house arrest awaiting the completion of the investigation.
De Telegraaf reported that a group of Russian hackers claimed to know the address of one of the boys and used that to pressure him. The newspaper also quoted the boy's father as saying that other students at his son's school, as well as teenagers in the same neighborhood, were lured into groups on the Telegram app run by the hackers.
However, the prosecution office strongly denied these allegations, confirming that a group of hackers linked to the Russian government hired a teenager to map Wi-Fi networks in The Hague. The teenager enlisted the help of two friends to gather data, and this information was shared with the hackers for money and not under threat. The prosecution confirmed that "there are no indications that any of the suspects were pressured."
The teenagers are facing charges of "providing services to a foreign power," which is a serious crime under Dutch law. The prosecution explained that the data they collected could be used for electronic espionage or to carry out cyberattacks on sensitive sites. Investigations began after the Dutch military intelligence agency (MIVD) provided the police with relevant information.
Two youths were arrested on September 22, and one of them remains under house arrest while the other was released on October 8. The third suspect was interrogated without arrest due to his 'limited role in the case,' and the police confiscated several data storage devices from him. Investigations are still ongoing against all three defendants.