Latest news with #DavidvanWeel
Yahoo
01-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
International Criminal Court hit by cyberattack during NATO summit
July 1 (UPI) -- The International Criminal Court in The Hague said it was hit by a "sophisticated and targeted" cyberattack during last week's NATO summit, the second such incident in less than two years. The court, which prosecutes genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity and the crime of aggression, said in a statement Monday that its alert and response mechanisms quickly detected, confirmed and contained the attack. "A court-wide impact analysis is being carried out, and steps are already being taken to mitigate any effects of the incident," it said -- but gave no indication of the extent of any damage or sensitive case information that may have been compromised, stolen or lost. The incident came amid a barrage of so-called distributed denial of service attacks targeting local governments and other Dutch institutions before and during the June 23-24 NATO summit, for which a known pro-Kremlin hacker group claimed responsibility. Cybersecurity authorities said they also investigating the possible targeting of the train network after services connecting Amsterdam Airport Schiphol to Amsterdam and Utrecht were disrupted on Tuesday due to fire damage to cables. Dutch Justice Minister David van Weel said he believed the incident "could be sabotage." The previous ICC incident occurred in September 2023 with the court saying at the time that it had all the hallmarks of espionage, calling it a "serious attempt to undermine the court's mandate." Following that attack, it instituted a raft of measures in response, reinforcing its risk management framework and identifying actions and procedures in readiness for any potential repercussions including any potential security risk to victims and witnesses, court officials and court operations. Since the court has been at the center of heated international debate with its rulings, jurisdiction and legitimacy challenged by states that do not recognize it over bias in decisions such as issuing arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Natanyahu and former Defense Minster Yoav Gallant on suspicion of war crimes and crimes against humanity. That prompted the United States to impose sanctions on the court, U.S. President Donald Trump to issue an executive order sanctioning ICC chief prosecutor Karim Khan. In June, investigations into U.S. personnel who served in Afghanistan and the Israeli warrants, saw the State Department sanction an additional four judges, citing the ICC's court's efforts to "arrest, detain or prosecute a protected person without consent of that person's country of nationality." Khan, who has had his own issues, stepped aside in May while an investigation into sexual misconduct allegations against him is completed. He insists he has been the victim of targeted campaign to discredit him. Khan lost access to his Microsoft email at the same time he took his leave of absence in May with the incident providing fresh incentive for a European effort to move to alternate platforms for criticial communications that are not provided by the U.S.-tech giants. Back in 2023, the court warned of potential disinformation campaigns targeting the ICC and its officials in an effort to "tarnish the ICC image and delegitimize its activities," pointing to criminal proceedings launched against elected officials, including Judges and the prosecutor, and daily hacking attempts. It also claimed to have foiled at the last minute an operation to infiltrate a "hostile intelligence officer" into the court posing as an intern. In May 2024, the Guardian published the findings of a year-long special investigation alleging Israel's intelligence agencies had waged a nine-year dirty war againt the ICC involving espionage, hacking and threats in an effort to derail the court's work.
The Guardian
25-06-2025
- The Guardian
Eurostar facing severe delays after huge cable theft in France
Passengers booked on Eurostar train services have been urged to cancel or delay their trips after a huge theft of cable in France, which threatened to disrupt the Nato summit in the Netherlands. Engineers are scrambling to repair the high speed line after 600m of cable was stolen or cut at Lille Europe station, the key interchange for trains between London and Paris and between Paris and Brussels and Amsterdam. On Wednesday Eurostar told customers that, due to the theft, its trains were 'likely to be subject to severe delays and last-minute cancellations. Our stations are very busy, and we advise you to cancel or postpone your trip.' Police have launched an investigation, with forensic teams on the scene outside Lille that has disrupted dozens of high speed services. Dutch authorities are also investigating disruption in the Netherlands on Tuesday after a power outage on around 30 rail cables affected trains from Schiphol airport, about 50km away from the Nato summit in The Hague. The justice minister of the Netherlands, David van Weel, said the damage could have been an attempt to sabotage the two-day meeting of Nato leaders. 'The question is who is behind it. It can be an activist group, it can be a country,' he said. Eurostar advised all passengers on Wednesday to either change their journey or cancel it and request a free exchange or refund. French regional train networks TER Hauts de France said 15 cable installers and specialists had been mobilised to repair the line at Lille Europe. 'Delays and cancellations are expected until early afternoon,' the railway company said. The company said the theft occurred along the track bordering Mont-de-Terre station, between Lille and Lezennes, on signal cables laid in gutters on the ground. It said agents from the French national rail company, SNCF, were carrying out repairs by bringing in new cables. 'As is always the case in this type of operation, the task involves connecting, one by one, around 15 wires making up each cable. This is meticulous work,' it added. The delays follow disruption on Tuesday after two people died in separate incidents on the line between Lille and Paris, causing the line to be shut for most of the day. One Tuesday Alex Deane, a consultant who was a passenger on a train to Paris from St Pancras International in London scheduled for 3.30pm, said it had been delayed by two hours. After they left London, the train 'stopped in the middle of nowhere' and then returned to the British capital, he said on social media. In May, Spain's transport minister said the country's rail network suffered 'an act of serious sabotage' after vital signalling cable was stolen over a busy bank holiday weekend, bringing severe delays to high-speed services between Madrid and Seville that affected more than 10,000 people.
Los Angeles Times
24-06-2025
- Politics
- Los Angeles Times
Dutch authorities investigate possible sabotage against rail network as NATO summit opens
THE HAGUE, Netherlands — Dutch authorities were investigating possible sabotage against the rail network on Tuesday after a power outage left the country's main airport with limited train services as a two-day summit of NATO leaders was opening in the Netherlands. Caretaker Justice Minister David van Weel told the NATO Public Forum that investigators were considering the possibility that fire in some 30 rail cables may have been set intentionally. 'It could be an activist group. It could be another state. It could be anything,' Van Weel said at a roundtable gathering. The damage disrupted rail services and no trains were running between Schiphol Airport and the country's capital, Amsterdam. According to service operator ProRail, a power failure occurred early Tuesday morning in cables near the airport. An investigation revealed 'considerable damage' had been done by a fire according to a statement. Trains were running south, in the direction of The Hague, where world leaders are gathering for the start of a two-day NATO summit. Leaders arriving for the summit were not taking trains: They will be whisked in motorcades along closed-down roads from the airport to hotels and the summit venue. ProRail said it expects normal service to be returned by early evening. Temporary barricades and metal mesh fences surrounding the World Forum summit venue are just a fraction of the major military and police operation called Orange Shield set up to ensure the safety of the alliance's 32 leaders. In what they are calling the biggest security operation ever staged in the Netherlands, authorities are locking down parts of the city, closing off roads and shutting down airspace. About 27,000 police officers — about half of the country's entire force — will be on duty around the summit along with more than 10,000 defense personnel. On Monday, pro-Russian hackers launched a series of denial-of-service attacks on several municipalities and organizations linked to the NATO summit. The National Cybersecurity Center said in a statement that many of the attacks were claimed by a pro-Russian hackers' group known as NoName057(16) 'and appear to have a pro-Russian ideological motive,' but did not elaborate. France's high-speed rail network was the target of sabotage last July, attacked by arsonists ahead of the opening ceremony in Paris of the Olympic Games. Targeting remote locations far from the capital, the apparently coordinated attacks sought to cut off rail routes into the capital from all directions. Fires were predominantly set in pipes containing critical signaling cables for the system known as the TGV. Quell writes for the Associated Press. AP writer John Leicester in Paris contributed.
24-06-2025
- Politics
Dutch authorities investigate possible rail network sabotage as NATO summit opens
THE HAGUE, Netherlands -- Dutch authorities were investigating possible sabotage against the rail network on Tuesday after a power outage left the country's main airport with limited train services as a two-day summit of NATO leaders was opening in the Netherlands. Caretaker Justice Minister David van Weel told the NATO Public Forum that investigators were considering the possibility that fire in some 30 rail cables may have been set intentionally. 'It could be an activist group. It could be another state. It could be anything,' Van Weel said at a roundtable gathering. The damage disrupted rail services and no trains were running between Schiphol Airport and the country's capital, Amsterdam. According to service operator ProRail, a power failure occurred early Tuesday morning in cables near the airport. An investigation revealed 'considerable damage' had been done by a fire according to a statement. Trains were running south, in the direction of The Hague, where world leaders are gathering for the start of a two-day NATO summit. Leaders arriving for the summit were not taking trains: They will be whisked in motorcades along closed-down roads from the airport to hotels and the summit venue. ProRail said it expects normal service to be returned by early evening. Temporary barricades and metal mesh fences surrounding the World Forum summit venue are just a fraction of the major military and police operation called Orange Shield set up to ensure the safety of the alliance's 32 leaders. In what they are calling the biggest security operation ever staged in the Netherlands, authorities are locking down parts of the city, closing off roads and shutting down airspace. About 27,000 police officers — about half of the country's entire force — will be on duty around the summit along with more than 10,000 defense personnel. On Monday, pro-Russian hackers launched a series of denial-of-service attacks on several municipalities and organizations linked to the NATO summit. The National Cybersecurity Center said in a statement that many of the attacks were claimed by a pro-Russian hackers' group known as NoName057(16) 'and appear to have a pro-Russian ideological motive,' but did not elaborate. France's high-speed rail network was the target of sabotage last July, attacked by arsonists ahead of the opening ceremony in Paris of the Olympic Games. Targeting remote locations far from the capital, the apparently coordinated attacks sought to cut off rail routes into the capital from all directions. Fires were predominantly set in pipes containing critical signaling cables for the system known as the TGV.
Time of India
24-06-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Dutch authorities investigate possible sabotage against rail network as Nato summit opens
AP image THE HAGUE: Dutch authorities were investigating possible sabotage against the rail network on Tuesday after a power outage left the country's main airport with limited train services as a two-day summit of Nato leaders was opening in the Netherlands. Caretaker justice minister David van Weel told the Nato public forum that investigators were considering the possibility that fire in some 30 rail cables may have been set intentionally. "It could be an activist group. It could be another state. It could be anything," Van Weel said at a roundtable gathering. The damage disrupted rail services and no trains were running between Schiphol Airport and the country's capital, Amsterdam. According to service operator ProRail, a power failure occurred early Tuesday morning in cables near the airport. An investigation revealed "considerable damage" had been done by a fire according to a statement. Trains were running south, in the direction of The Hague, where world leaders are gathering for the start of a two-day Nato summit. Leaders arriving for the summit were not taking trains: They will be whisked in motorcades along closed-down roads from the airport to hotels and the summit venue. ProRail said it expects normal service to be returned by early evening. Temporary barricades and metal mesh fences surrounding the world forum summit venue are just a fraction of the major military and police operation called orange shield set up to ensure the safety of the alliance's 32 leaders. In what they are calling the biggest security operation ever staged in the Netherlands, authorities are locking down parts of the city, closing off roads and shutting down airspace. About 27,000 police officers - about half of the country's entire force - will be on duty around the summit along with more than 10,000 defence personnel. On Monday, pro-Russian hackers launched a series of denial-of-service attacks on several municipalities and organisations linked to the Nato summit. The national cybersecurity center said in a statement that many of the attacks were claimed by a pro-Russian hackers' group known as NoName057(16) "and appear to have a pro-Russian ideological motive," but did not elaborate. France's high-speed rail network was the target of sabotage last July, attacked by arsonists ahead of the opening ceremony in Paris of the Olympic games. Targeting remote locations far from the capital, the apparently coordinated attacks sought to cut off rail routes into the capital from all directions. Fires were predominantly set in pipes containing critical signaling cables for the system known as the TGV.
