Summarised by Centrist
An NZDF soldier has pleaded guilty to attempted espionage in the country’s first conviction for spying.
The man, whose name and target country are both suppressed, believed he was contacting a foreign agent in 2019 when he tried to share sensitive military material, including maps, phone directories, login credentials, and ID documents.
But the “agent” was actually an undercover New Zealand police officer working as part of a post-Christchurch surveillance operation targeting extremist groups.
According to military court documents, the man also possessed a copy of the Christchurch shooter’s livestreamed massacre video and manifesto, both banned in New Zealand.
His lawyer said the groups he associated with were “no more than groups of friends with similar points of view to my own,” and denied any ideological support for the gunman.
The soldier was stationed at Linton Military Camp and came to the attention of authorities after expressing interest in defecting. After pleading guilty to three amended charges, including dishonestly accessing a military system, he now faces a sentence of up to 10 years in prison.
The espionage charge is the first to reach a military court in New Zealand. The last comparable civilian trial was in 1975, when a public servant was acquitted of spying for Russia.
