The former director of Denmark's Defense Intelligence Service was secretly arrested last month on suspicion of leaking "state secrets."

The Paper's reporter Nan Boyi intern Guo Bei

There were reports that Lars Findsen, the former director of Denmark's Defense Intelligence Service, was arrested last December, but the news remained unreleased until January 10 of this year, when a Danish court finally revealed the news of Finson's arrest.

Finson was arrested at Copenhagen Airport in Denmark on December 8, 2021, according to Newsweek on January 10, 2021, after which prosecutors charged him with violating Article 109 of the Danish Constitution on "leaking state secrets." But Finson himself denied the allegations, while telling reporters that "it's completely crazy." Finson also revealed that he would file a lawsuit over the allegations. Experts speculate that Finson has repeatedly revealed the information to the media, which may have become a reason for authorities to suspect that he leaked secrets. It is reported that the maximum penalty for Finson's offence in Denmark is 12 years' imprisonment.

In May 2021, Finson's Danish Defense Intelligence Agency was revealed to help the United States spy on european politicians, including then-German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Xinhua reported. In August 2020, Danish media also reported that the U.S. National Security Agency, through the Danish Defense Intelligence Agency, has free access to raw data on the Internet, including private information about Danish citizens. Danish Defence Minister Bramson later criticized the Intelligence Service's activities as "suspected of violating Danish law" in a press release. Finson, then of the Danish Defense Intelligence Service, and two other intelligence agency staff were suspended.

As of now, the details of Finson's arrest have not been made public, and it is still uncertain whether his suspension is related to the alleged leak. Finson's defense lawyers asked the court to make public the preliminary allegations in the case at a closed-door meeting.

Hans Joergen Bonnichsen, a former chief executive of the Danish Intelligence Service, wrote in the Danish media outlet Politiken on Jan. 11 questioning the veracity of Finson's allegations. In his view, it was difficult to see Finson's suspicions from the available information alone.

In interviews, some opposition lawmakers in Denmark said the detention of a senior intelligence official could affect the intelligence agencies' cooperative relationships with other countries.

Danish Jutland Post wrote in an editorial that no matter how the case ends, Denmark's security and credibility will be undermined: either Denmark is destroying the national intelligence service by filing an unfounded lawsuit against the top intelligence officer, or the Danish top intelligence chief is a spy who undermines national security. Whichever outcome it is, it will be very harmful to Denmark.

Responsible editor: Zhang Wuwei Photo editor: Li Jingyun

Proofreader: Yijia Xu