French Intelligence Probes Spy Device Found on Italian Ship

(MENAFN) France’s domestic intelligence service, DGSI, has initiated an inquiry into a surveillance apparatus discovered aboard a ship moored in the southern port of Sete. The discovery came following intelligence shared by Italian authorities, according to media reports on Wednesday.

The operation, executed last week under the guidance of the Paris Prosecutor’s Office, targeted the “Fantastic,” a passenger vessel owned by an Italian company and able to accommodate up to 2,000 passengers, reports indicated.

During the intervention, authorities detained two individuals—one Latvian and one Bulgarian—on suspicion of interfering with the device.

Over the weekend, the Latvian suspect was transported to Paris and formally placed under investigation for “violating an automated data processing system in service of a foreign power.” He was then remanded in custody, whereas the Bulgarian national was released.

Investigators from DGSI also uncovered additional materials during searches conducted both on the ship and in Latvia.

French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez called the incident “very serious” in an interview with a public broadcaster, stating, “Some individuals attempted to breach a ship’s data processing system.”

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