Members of State Security perform elicitation maneuvers from the earliest stages of their training. “Not for carrying out espionage activities abroad because the Security is a non-offensive internal intelligence service”, we specify. ” But the technique proves to be useful, for example, for the case officers in charge of contacts with sources. Place du Luxembourg, at a time when the workers of the European institutions are leaving their offices, the exercise is being carried out by the Sûreté on a proposal from the RTBF in order to better understand the techniques and threats of espionage*.
Each piece of information is a piece of a puzzle
The target is chosen randomly. Very quickly, the so-called friends strike up a conversation. The approach is harmless and pleasant in appearance. However, it is a cleverly masked manipulation. “For three pieces of information received from the target, I give one about myself. Otherwise, the dialogue is one-sided and this arouses suspicion”, slips one of the agents. After half an hour, the time allotted for the test, the information collected is varied: name, age, email address, last trip abroad, etc.
Nothing very secret? No but “espionage is not limited to the theft of confidential or secret documents” emphasizes State Security, which compares the mechanism to a puzzle: “Each piece is an additional element that can be used against your interests”.