A former F-16 pilot has been arrested on suspicion of espionage. The 37-year-old man is accused of leaking or preparing to leak state secrets.

The Public Prosecutor's Office will ask for an extension of his detention and make known the formal charges at a preliminary court session on 9 June. The former jet pilot was arrested on 17 March.

A spokesperson for the Public Prosecutor's office in The Hague would not confirm newspaper claims that the man intended to pass on secrets to Belarus "in the interests of the investigation and because of its diplomatic sensitivity".

(imm/mw)

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