The Rafale Espionage Case Rattling French Defense

A 19-Year-Old, a Wiring Job, and a Camera Hidden in Plain Sight

French authorities have arrested a 19-year-old temporary employee of Dassault Aviation—the manufacturer of France’s premier Rafale fighter jet—on suspicion of espionage.

The arrest, which took place at Dassault’s production facility in Val-d’Oise, north of Paris, has raised fresh alarm over the vulnerability of sensitive defense infrastructure to insider threats.