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New Zealand Soldier Convicted of Attempted Espionage, a First for the Country

Sentencing will follow a guilty plea accepted under strict suppression orders.

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A New Zealand man convicted of attempted espionage offered access codes for Ohakea Air Base
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Overview

  • Prosecutors said he offered mapping, photographs and to place a covert device inside Army Headquarters to an undercover officer posing as a foreign agent.
  • He provided telephone directories containing restricted information and discussed access codes and vulnerabilities for Linton Military Camp and nearby RNZAF Base Ohakea.
  • The court ordered the suppression of his identity, the foreign country involved and the undercover officer's name.
  • A search of his home found service ammunition and a drive with the Christchurch mosque attack video and manifesto, and he admitted membership of Action Zealandia and the Dominion Movement.
  • A court-martial panel is expected to set the sentence within days in what is only the second espionage case since a 1975 trial ended in acquittal.