Spy (illustrative)
Spy (illustrative)iStock

A senior officer in the French military is under investigation for a suspected "breach of security", the French Armed Forces Minister, Florence Parly, has confirmed, after a source in the French judiciary told AFP that an officer has been detained due to suspicions that he transferred "intelligence [to] a foreign power that undermines the fundamental interests of the nation."

Parly gave no further details but French media, quoting unnamed sources, have alleged that the officer was based in Naples, Italy and was working with NATO. Europe 1 describes the officer as a "lieutenant-colonel" and writes that he is under suspicion of having transferred top-secret information to Russian intelligence officers.

Their report adds that the officer has distant family connections in Russia and is a fluent Russian speaker. He was apparently arrested 10 days ago, just before his planned return to Italy after a holiday in France, and is being held in a prison in Paris.