In brief
Two Dutch teenagers were arrested on suspicion of involvement in espionage connected to Russian hackers. The boys, identified as 17 years old, allegedly engaged in activities including using a 'wi-fi sniffer' near sensitive locations like the Europol offices. One teenager was remanded in detention, while the other is subject to strict bail conditions pending a court hearing. The arrests raise concerns about the recruitment of youth for state-sponsored hacking operations.
Two 17-year-old boys have been arrested on suspicion of state interference in the Netherlands, prosecutors say, in a case with reported links to Russian spying.
The pair were allegedly contacted by pro-Russian hackers on the messaging app Telegram, Dutch media reported.
One of the boys allegedly walked past the offices of Europol, Eurojust, and the Canadian embassy in The Hague carrying a wi-fi sniffer - a device designed to identify and intercept wi-fi networks.
The teenagers appeared before a judge on Thursday, who ordered one boy to be remanded in detention and the other on strict home bail conditions until a hearing due to take place in the next two weeks.
One of the boy's fathers told Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf that police had arrested his son on Monday afternoon while he was doing his homework.
He stated police informed him that the arrest related to espionage and rendering services to a foreign country, as reported by the paper.
The teenager was described as technophile and fascinated by hacking, while also holding a part-time job at a supermarket.
The Netherlands' domestic intelligence and security agency declined to comment on the case when approached by the BBC.
