Danish ex-intelligence head suspected of leaking information

COPENHAGEN, Denmark — The antheral who has headed some of Denmark’s quality agencies astatine antithetic times has been detained for implicit a period connected suspicion of “disclosing highly classified accusation from the quality services,” a Danish tribunal has revealed.

The revelation has sparked speculation that Lars Findsen was considered excessively unfastened toward the media.

Four suspects with Denmark’s 2 quality agencies — 2 from each — were detained. Three person since been released portion Findsen remains successful pre-trial custody. His sanction had been protected by a court-ordered ban, but that was removed connected Monday.

Findsen headed the home information service, known by its Danish acronym PET, from 2002 to 2007. He past headed the overseas quality service, known arsenic FE, from 2015 until helium was suspended successful August 2020 aft an autarkic watchdog heavy criticized the spy bureau for deliberately withholding accusation and violating laws successful Denmark.

Writing successful the Politiken paper connected Tuesday, the erstwhile operative caput for PET questioned whether Findsen had done thing wrong.

Hans Joergen Bonnichsen described Findsen arsenic “the idiosyncratic successful Denmark, and astir apt besides internationally, who has the deepest penetration into the soul, means and methods of the quality service.”

Bonnichsen said Findsen made “the largest turnaround process successful PET’s history. We created a modern enactment with greater openness astir the enactment of the service, with a website, yearly report, meetings were held with the property and interviews were given.

“I find it infinitely hard to spot that specified a illustration has a motive for nationalist harm, but fto the process find this,” Bonnichsen wrote.

Details astir Findsen’s detention are shrouded successful secrecy and due to the fact that of the sensitivity of the lawsuit his defence lawyer cannot talk. It is not known whether his apprehension is linked to his earlier suspension.

A custody proceeding was held Monday down closed doors successful Copenhagen and extended Findsen’s detention until Feb. 4.

His defence lawyer decried the information that not adjacent the preliminary charge, allowing him to beryllium held portion the probe goes on, was known. In Denmark, preliminary charges are 1 measurement abbreviated of ceremonial charges.

“We bash not recognize the inheritance for this secrecy” Lars Kjeldsen said.

Findsen himself told reporters successful tribunal connected Monday: ”I privation the preliminary complaint brought forward, and I plead not guilty. This is wholly insane.”

Opposition lawmakers expressed fears that the detention of a apical quality authoritative whitethorn harm the agencies’ contacts with overseas partners.

“We request to beryllium assured that we tin spot that the practice with different countries is complete,” Peter Skaarup, the populist Danish People’s Party’s ineligible affairs spokesman, told Danish broadcaster DR.

On the other extremity of the governmental spectrum, Eva Flyvholm, the defence and overseas affairs spokeswoman for the left-wing Unity List, said it wants the Social Democratic authorities to springiness lawmakers a briefing connected the case.

Danish newspapers splashed Findsen’s detention quality crossed their fronts.

The Jyllands-Posten regular wrote successful an editorial that “Denmark’s information and credibility basal to go the large loser” nary substance however the lawsuit ends and that it “undoubtedly indispensable trigger the question: What is rotten successful Denmark?”

“Either (Denmark) is successful the process of destroying its ain quality services by bringing an unfounded lawsuit against the FE boss, oregon Denmark has had a spy main who has undermined the kingdom’s security. Both are, to enactment it mildly, frightening and profoundly harmful to Denmark,” Politiken wrote.