Dutch intelligence service spied on Russian group linked to US election

The Dutch intelligence service passed on “crucial evidence” to the FBI about Russian interference in the 2016 US presidential election, Dutch newspaper de Volkskrant reported Friday, citing the results of an investigation.

 

Hackers from the Dutch intelligence service known as the AIVD gained access to the network of Russian hacking group “Cozy Bear” in the summer of 2014. While monitoring the group’s activities, the AIVD learned of attacks launched on the Democratic Party, according to six unidentified American and Dutch sources cited by the investigation.

 

The information provided by the Dutch gave grounds for the FBI to start an investigation into the influence of Russian interference on the election race between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, according to the newspaper report based on a collaborative investigation with Eelco Bosch van Rosenthal, a journalist at Dutch news program Nieuwsuur.