«A bomb in the work and reputation of the spy device» – VG

The head of Denmark’s armed forces intelligence, Lars Vindsen, has been imprisoned in a leak case.

It’s reports Danish TV 2.

During a court hearing on Monday, a previous ban on the name in the case was lifted. The judge asserts, among other things, that it was Vindsen himself who asked for the name ban to be lifted.

Vindsen has been in detention since December 9 and has been released from service since August 2020 after she criticized a public review of the Armed Forces Intelligence Service for unjustified spying on Danish citizens.

The charges against him remain classified, as the case is taking place behind closed doors, writes Radio Denmark.

Aim in the dark

Vindsen was secretly accused of leaking classified and highly classified information that could harm Denmark’s security or relations with other powers.

However, the charge falls under the very serious “treason” clause in the Danish penal code, which can carry a sentence of up to twelve years in prison. This section has not been used for 40 years in Denmark.

It was not clear to whom the information was leaked.

“The fact that the head of the intelligence service of the Danish armed forces has been imprisoned for a month, while a case of a leak from the intelligence services is being investigated, is a bombshell in the spy service’s work and reputation, potentially harmful to the nation and never before seen,” writes Danish TV 2.

According to the information Radio Denmark Police Intelligence Service (PET), Denmark’s second intelligence service, has bugged his phones.

Few over the years have kept more secrets in Denmark than the 57-year-old Vindsen, who was appointed shortly after the terrorist attacks on the United States in 2001 as PET leader, NTB writes.

Seven years later, he became a division chief at the Ministry of Defense, before taking over as FE chief in 2015.

Vindsen has also held a permanent seat on the Danish government’s Security Committee for the past 20 years.

Three other current and former employees of the FE and the Danish Probation Police (PET) have also been arrested and charged in the case. Only Vindsen is detained.

One of the most famous leaks from Military Intelligence is the media coverage in May 2021 for this It is said that Danish intelligence allowed the United States to spy on politicians in NorwaySweden, Germany and France.

Then-Prime Minister Erna Solberg told NRK that it was unacceptable if it was true that the United States had spied on Norwegian politicians.