An officer of the Greek Armed Forces was arrested on Thursday for disseminating classified information to a third party. The incident is considered to be “Very serious” and has set the Armed Forces on alert.
The arrest took place in the early hours of Thursday morning within a military area, in cooperation and coordination with other state agencies and in the presence of an authorized prosecutor, military authorities said without elaborating further.
According to media information, there were clear indications of the commission of criminal acts according to the Military Penal Code, namely the collection and transmission of classified information of military importance to third parties, with the risk of causing harm to national interests.
According to state broadcaster ERT, the arrested officer, a man, currently testifies and military authorities do not leak more information other than through the official channels, like the General Staff of National Defense.
Military & defense issues website onalert.gr reported, the officer serves in a key position and has access to classified information.
Citing the same source, onalert.gr reported that the officer is giving a statement to the competent authorities, while the evidence that has been gathered against him is said to be “very serious.”
Indicative of the seriousness of the case is the fact that the National Intelligence Service (NIS), services of the Hellenic Police, as well as the competent services of the Armed Forces were involved in the identification and arrest of the officer of the Armed Forces.
ERT reported also that it was the NIS that alerted the Armed Forces after it capture a suspected transmission of information. Authorities had the man under surveillance for a few months.
Mega TV Live News magazine reported that the man is 35-45 years old.
UPDATE
Several media, among other newsit.gr report early evening on Thursday that the officer confessed that:
- He was collecting classified information disseminating it to China with specialized, classified dispatch software.
- He was receiving money for his services
- He had attempted to recruited other executives of the Armed Forces
The 50-year-old officer, a colonel, is the Commander of an Air Force unit in Varkiza, SE Athens, and had access to critical NATO information due to his position.
4. He would leak information about Greek high technology and NATO plans
5. He said he was recruited by a Chinese official during an international meeting abroad
Other sources state that he allegedly provided information related to NATO, which gives the case even greater weight, as it also concerns the member states of the Alliance.
On Friday, media reported that Greek authorities received a tip by the CIA.
Announcement of the Hellenic National Defense General Staff
A soldier was arrested for espionage, as announced by the Hellenic National Defense General Staff. The Armed Forces officer was arrested for leaking confidential information to a third country.
According to the announcement, on Thursday, February 5, 2026, in the morning hours, the competent military authorities proceeded to arrest a member of the Armed Forces. The arrest took place within a military area, in cooperation and coordination with other state services (in the presence of an authorized prosecutor), following clear indications of the commission of criminal acts according to the Military Criminal Code, namely the collection and transmission of secret information of military importance to third parties, with the risk of causing harm to national interests.
