Busy times for the State Security Service
Last year was a record year for Belgium’s State Security Service. Never before did the State Security Service carry out as many house search, hack as many computer systems or intercept as many telephone call and other forms of communication using so-call “special investigation methods”. Special investigation methods were used on 156 occasions in 2014, up from 122 times in 2013.
A similar trend is also noticeable at the military security service ADIV, where the “special investigation methods” were used 36 times last year.
Committee I that deals with complaints about both security services had to intervene to stop an operation on just three occasions. Ten operations had to be partially stopped. This is well down on previous years.
There is no official explanation for the increase in the use “special investigation methods”. However, this is no doubt linked to the growing number of investigations into Belgian jihadi.