The investigation revealed details about the Stuxnet virus attack on the Natanz nuclear complex.
Two long years of investigation by the Volkskrant newspaper have revealed unexpected details about the sabotage of Iran's nuclear program in 2010. At the center of the action was 36-year-old Dutchman Eric van Sabben, who played a key role in the operation led by the United States and Israel. Van Sabben, recruited by the Dutch secret services AIVD and MIVD, infiltrated the Iranian nuclear complex in Natanz and released the Stuxnet virus, disrupting Iran's nuclear program.
During the operation, Van Sabben successfully penetrated an underground nuclear complex in the Iranian city of Natanz. He installed hardware infected with a sophisticated Stuxnet virus that cost more than a billion dollars to develop. Presumably, the virus was in the system of the water pump installed by Sabben. The virus caused the failure of a large number of nuclear centrifuges, which, according to experts, delayed the development of Iran's nuclear program for several years.
Previously, it was believed that an Iranian engineer recruited by the CIA and Mossad was behind the introduction of the virus, but the investigation showed that the Dutchman played a key role. Van Sabben was an ideal candidate for the mission because of his technical background, extensive contacts in the region, and ties to Iran: he did business there and was married to an Iranian woman.
Immediately after the successful completion of the operation, Van Sabben left Iran and soon died in a traffic accident in Dubai. Despite the lack of obvious signs of a crime, one of the MIVD employees claims that Van Sabben paid a high price for his role. After his death, he was noted in an article in the UAE for his contribution to the development of the region.
The striking fact was that the Dutch Cabinet and the so-called "secret committee" Stiekem, which includes representatives of major political parties, were not aware of Dutch cooperation in the operation. In response to the publication of Volkskrant, parliamentarians demanded clarification about the operation and the reasons why the government and parliament were not aware of it. The intelligence services declined to comment further, but it is assumed that the information was withheld due to political consequences.
Two long years of investigation by the Volkskrant newspaper have revealed unexpected details about the sabotage of Iran's nuclear program in 2010. At the center of the action was 36-year-old Dutchman Eric van Sabben, who played a key role in the operation led by the United States and Israel. Van Sabben, recruited by the Dutch secret services AIVD and MIVD, infiltrated the Iranian nuclear complex in Natanz and released the Stuxnet virus, disrupting Iran's nuclear program.
During the operation, Van Sabben successfully penetrated an underground nuclear complex in the Iranian city of Natanz. He installed hardware infected with a sophisticated Stuxnet virus that cost more than a billion dollars to develop. Presumably, the virus was in the system of the water pump installed by Sabben. The virus caused the failure of a large number of nuclear centrifuges, which, according to experts, delayed the development of Iran's nuclear program for several years.
Previously, it was believed that an Iranian engineer recruited by the CIA and Mossad was behind the introduction of the virus, but the investigation showed that the Dutchman played a key role. Van Sabben was an ideal candidate for the mission because of his technical background, extensive contacts in the region, and ties to Iran: he did business there and was married to an Iranian woman.
Immediately after the successful completion of the operation, Van Sabben left Iran and soon died in a traffic accident in Dubai. Despite the lack of obvious signs of a crime, one of the MIVD employees claims that Van Sabben paid a high price for his role. After his death, he was noted in an article in the UAE for his contribution to the development of the region.
The striking fact was that the Dutch Cabinet and the so-called "secret committee" Stiekem, which includes representatives of major political parties, were not aware of Dutch cooperation in the operation. In response to the publication of Volkskrant, parliamentarians demanded clarification about the operation and the reasons why the government and parliament were not aware of it. The intelligence services declined to comment further, but it is assumed that the information was withheld due to political consequences.
