Report: A spy named Erik van Saben planted the harmful Stuxnet in the Iranian reactor
14 years after the cyber attack against the Iranian reactor, a Dutch investigation reveals the identity of the spy employed by the Netherlands
Ami Rojkes Dombe
| 10/01/2024
Anti-aircraft guns guarding the Natanz Nuclear Facility, Iran. 22 June 2006 - Credit: Hamed Saber / Wikimedia Commons - License: CC-BY
A Dutch publication revealed more details about the cyber attack, Stuxnet, on the nuclear facility in Natanz, Iran. An investigation by the Dutch newspaper de Volkskrant revealed that a Dutch engineer named Erik van Saben inserted the malicious code into the Iranian facility.
According to the newspaper, van Saben worked for Dutch intelligence, and by 2007, he had managed to infiltrate the nuclear complex. The newspaper's report added details to those previously published that attributed the Stuxnet attack to the US and Israel.
According to the newspaper, the operation lasted for years and cost more than a billion dollars. It was also written that van Saben planted the worm in a water pump at the facility.
De Volkskrant’s investigation lasted about two years and included conversations with 43 sources, including 19 employees of the two Dutch intelligence agencies - AIVD, the General Security and Intelligence Service, and MIVD, the Military Security and Intelligence Service.
According to the report, the government and other official bodies in the Netherlands did not know about the operation except the intelligence agencies. One of the interviewees was quoted as saying that American intelligence took advantage of them and that, even in the Netherlands, they did not know that this was an attempt to disrupt the Iranian nuclear program.
Erik van Saben is described in the investigative article as a "fearless adventurer." He lived in Iran, worked in Dubai for a heavy transport company, and had an Iranian wife. According to the investigation, after the operation, he was under intense pressure and wanted to leave Iran. His (Dutch) mother said 15 years later, "We all thought it was very strange." According to the newspaper, his wife said that "he was so upset and insisted that we leave immediately."
In 2019, it was revealed that an AIVD spy played a crucial role in introducing the notorious Stuxnet worm into an Iranian nuclear complex, but his identity was not released.
Two weeks after his mysterious departure from Iran, van Saben died in an equally mysterious accident in Sharjah - the third largest emirate in the United Arab Emirates (next to Dubai). On January 16, 2009, he was riding his motorcycle when he overturned and broke his neck.
14 years after the cyber attack against the Iranian reactor, a Dutch investigation reveals the identity of the spy employed by the Netherlands
Anti-aircraft guns guarding the Natanz Nuclear Facility, Iran. 22 June 2006 - Credit: Hamed Saber / Wikimedia Commons - License: CC-BY
A Dutch publication revealed more details about the cyber attack, Stuxnet, on the nuclear facility in Natanz, Iran. An investigation by the Dutch newspaper de Volkskrant revealed that a Dutch engineer named Erik van Saben inserted the malicious code into the Iranian facility.
According to the newspaper, van Saben worked for Dutch intelligence, and by 2007, he had managed to infiltrate the nuclear complex. The newspaper's report added details to those previously published that attributed the Stuxnet attack to the US and Israel.
According to the newspaper, the operation lasted for years and cost more than a billion dollars. It was also written that van Saben planted the worm in a water pump at the facility.
De Volkskrant’s investigation lasted about two years and included conversations with 43 sources, including 19 employees of the two Dutch intelligence agencies - AIVD, the General Security and Intelligence Service, and MIVD, the Military Security and Intelligence Service.
According to the report, the government and other official bodies in the Netherlands did not know about the operation except the intelligence agencies. One of the interviewees was quoted as saying that American intelligence took advantage of them and that, even in the Netherlands, they did not know that this was an attempt to disrupt the Iranian nuclear program.
Erik van Saben is described in the investigative article as a "fearless adventurer." He lived in Iran, worked in Dubai for a heavy transport company, and had an Iranian wife. According to the investigation, after the operation, he was under intense pressure and wanted to leave Iran. His (Dutch) mother said 15 years later, "We all thought it was very strange." According to the newspaper, his wife said that "he was so upset and insisted that we leave immediately."
In 2019, it was revealed that an AIVD spy played a crucial role in introducing the notorious Stuxnet worm into an Iranian nuclear complex, but his identity was not released.
Two weeks after his mysterious departure from Iran, van Saben died in an equally mysterious accident in Sharjah - the third largest emirate in the United Arab Emirates (next to Dubai). On January 16, 2009, he was riding his motorcycle when he overturned and broke his neck.
