The Israeli Mossad intelligence agency tried recruiting spies from the French intelligence agencies during a joint campaign which lasted from 2010 to 2012.This is according to a report publicized in the French newspaper La-Mond.
An internal investigation paper of the French counterintelligence agency of which parts were publicized in La Mond shows the effort of the Mossad to attract French agents to it “to the point of making them double agents”. The investigation paper also recommended investigation of the head of counter intelligence until 2012 Bernard Squarsini with the allegation that he had unauthorized contact with Mossad supervisors in Paris.
According to the report the head of the Mossad branch in Paris took advantage of his daily contact with French agents to strengthen ties with them. One agent was even photographed going to a Friday night Shabbat meal at the Mossad supervisor’s house.
That agent came to visit Israel with his family after going to Dubai for a shooting training exercise and he met with Mossad agents in Jerusalem. The whole trip was not reported to his superiors when he came back home. The French see this as crossing the fine line between cooperation between colleagues and active recruiting of agents that were supposed to work side by side. The report says that it’s quite possible this agent received cash and other gifts from the Mossad against protocol.
When the episode became public many Israeli diplomats in the Israeli embassy in France had to leave including the Mossad branch supervisor.
The information came up during the investigation of the former head of French Security Bernard Squarcini who served in those years. Squarcini is alleged to have used classified information for personal purposes. In his investigation, Squarcini declared that the internal security service told him that a service provider was very friendly with former agents which worked in cooperation with the Mossad at the time. This was probably the Mossad’s attempt to infiltrate French intelligence.”
