The Dutch intelligence service, the AIVD, says it will appeal against Thursday's court ruling that it should never have listened in on telephone calls made by journalists working for the newspaper, De Telegraaf.

The AIVD tapped the reporters'phones in an attempt to discover the identity of the person leaking sensitive information to the mass-circulation daily. The judge however decided bugging the journalists went too far, especially in view of the fact the AIVD had an idea who was to blame for the leaks.

The AIVD contests the judgement, saying it acted properly and with due care. It also says the judge failed to study the background to the case sufficiently.

photo: De Telegraaf (flickr/madbello)