Security cop accused of leaking information to criminal gang

A police officer was arrested on Monday on suspicion of leaking investigation information to a Moroccan-Dutch criminal organization, NRC reports. According to the newspaper, the officer in question is of Moroccan descent and works at the so-called Safety and Security Department, tasked with providing security to the royal family and threatened politicians like Geert Wilders, among others.

The Telegraaf reports that the man was working on the Wilders team. The Public Prosecutor would not confirm or deny this. "The man was responsible for protecting politicians and that includes Wilders", a spokesperson said to the newspaper. The spokesperson said that at this stage no additional security measures are needed around the people being protected. The officer did not belong to the "inner circle" with crucial information.

Police officers told the newspaper that the suspected cop was responsible for exploring areas that their guarded charges were set to visit, so-called environmental scans. And that he had access to databases with highly confidential information. There are concerns that the corrupt officer leaked the location of safe houses through to the gang, which is mostly occupied with money laundering, according to the Telegraaf.

The officer in question was suspended and arrested for further investigation. The Rijksrecherche, the department that handles internal investigations at the police, is examining what information ended up in the wrong hands. One source told NRC that the "damage is incalculable".

PVV leader Geert Wilders responded to the news on Twitter. "If I can no longer blindly trust the Service that must protect me, I can no longer function. That is unacceptable", he tweeted at Prime Minister Mark Rutte.