Rainbow Warrior spy tracked down in France

One of the key players in the Rainbow Warrior bombing has been tracked down in France 32 years after fleeing New Zealand.

rainbow

Monday marks the 32nd anniversary of the Rainbow Warrior bombing in Auckland Harbour. (AAP)

The French spy involved in planning the bombing of the Rainbow Warrior in Auckland Harbour has been tracked down after fleeing New Zealand.

Monday marks the 32nd anniversary of France's bombing of the Greenpeace ship that killed freelance photograph Fernando Pereira.

Fairfax NZ has tracked now-retired French secret service agent Christine Cabon to a village in France.

Ms Cabon infiltrated Greenpeace to help plan the bombing.

She's told Fairfax that while she regrets the death of Mr Pereira, she won't be apologising and will respect her contractual obligation to the army which forbids her speaking for 50 years after seeing active service.

"My job was what it was. I entered the army to prevent international and national conflict because my family, originally from Alsace, suffered from the war," she tells Fairfax.

"I think all military people who serve their countries can find themselves in situations they hadn't wished for."

In April 1985, Ms Cabon introduced herself to staff at Greenpeace's Auckland offices as aristocrat and activist 'Frederique Bonlieu' with a letter from Greenpeace in Paris.

She made friends with Greenpeace directors and volunteers, while acquiring details of its workings.

"In Auckland, they were happy to get a Frenchie to help in an anti-French nuclear testing operation," French historian Gerald Arboit says.

She flew to Israel just before the bombing and then two weeks later as police were about to arrest her, she fled to France.


Share
2 min read

Published

Source: AAP


Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world