Two 17-year-old boys from the Netherlands have been arrested on suspicion of spying for pro-Russian hackers, Dutch authorities recently confirmed. The arrests came after a tip from the AIVD, the Dutch intelligence and security service, in what is believed to be the first case of minors being recruited by a foreign state actor in the country.
Prosecution spokesperson Brechtje van de Moosdijk confirmed the arrests, stating the teens are suspected of links to “government-sponsored interference.”
Recruited via Messaging App
The teenagers were allegedly contacted by pro-Russian hackers through the messaging application Telegram. Telegram is a widely popular platform, especially among youth, making it frequently exploited by cybercriminals and state-affiliated threat actors to lure or scam unsuspecting users.
The spying activity allegedly involved one teen who was seen carrying a device known as a Wi-Fi sniffer while walking past key locations in The Hague last August 16th. For your information, a Wi-Fi sniffer is simply a device or app that can intercept nearby wireless data. This particular route covered the Canadian embassy, the Europol police service, and Eurojust.
It is worth noting that targeting Eurojust is particularly sensitive, as the agency hosts the joint investigation team that probes alleged Russian war crimes following the 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
The arrest of one of the boys was particularly dramatic, occurring while he was doing his homework. According to his father, at least eight men wearing balaclavas (face coverings) entered their home with a search warrant, seized electronic equipment, and took the boy away.
Following their court appearance, one suspect was placed under house arrest with an ankle monitor, while the other remains in custody.
The Wider Network of Proxy Agents
This Dutch case is part of a growing, disturbing trend where individuals are lured by Russian threat actors for mild vandalism or the filming of critical government infrastructure. In Germany, for instance, security authorities recently issued a public warning against getting recruited as “disposable agents,” and the Federal Criminal Police Office voiced concern over the increasing use of these “low-level agents” recruited via social media for espionage/sabotage.
The recruitment network gets more sinister as The Guardian reported that Russian actors on Telegram have recruited teenagers and vulnerable individuals with offers of easy ‘odd jobs’ (like delivering a package) for cash. The packages contained improvised explosive devices, making the recruits unwitting suicide bombers targeting military or police infrastructure.
Commander Dominic Murphy, head of the London police’s Counter Terrorism Command, confirmed that authorities are seeing an increasing number of “proxies” being recruited by foreign intelligence services. This follows recent arrests in Britain for alleged spying on behalf of Russia and the conviction of a team of Bulgarians for running a spy unit for the Kremlin.
It is worth noting that the Kremlin has denied all these accusations, stating that the British and other Western governments always blame Russia for anything “bad” that happens.
