ATHENS, Feb 5 (Reuters) - Greek defence authorities have arrested a member of the Greek defence forces who was leaking "secret information" to "third parties", the Greek National Defence General Staff
Greek Military Member Arrested for Suspected Espionage Ties to China
Details of the Espionage Case
ATHENS, Feb 5 (Reuters) - Greek defence authorities have arrested a member of the Greek defence forces accused of leaking "secret information" to "third parties," the Greek National Defence General Staff (GEETHA) said on Thursday.
Background of the Arrest
Two months ago, Greece's intelligence service received a tip-off from a Western national security agency that "highly sensitive" information was leaked to China by a member of the country's military personnel, sources close to the investigation added.
Suspect's Confession
The man, a member of the Greek Air Force in the wider Athens region, was later closely monitored by Greek authorities and he was arrested on suspicion that he intended to leak even more sensitive information to his operator abroad, who is allegedly linked with China.
Reactions and Implications
"The arrest took place within a military area, in cooperation and coordination with other state services," GEETHA said in a press release.
The suspect's name was not disclosed but the sources said he confessed to the actions following his arrest.
There was no immediate response from China to the allegations.
(Reporting by Lefteris Papadimas and Yannis Souliotis in Athens; Writing by Renee Maltezou; Editing by Philippa Fletcher)
