AIVD - Algemene Inlichtingen en Veiligheidsdienst

Algemene Inlichtingen en Veiligheidsdienst (AIVD) is the name of what was previously known as Binnenlandse Veiligheids Dienst (BVD).

AIVD is Netherlandss security and intelligence service. AIVD headquarter is located in Leidschendam-Voorburg. The focus of AIVD is to gather intelligence from domestic non-military sources. The MIVD (Military Intelligence and Security Service) deals with the threats from foreign countries and military intelligence as well. Since the detection of Hofstad Network and the murder of the film director Theo van Gogh, AIVD focus has narrowed down to intelligence of threats posed by the Islamic extremist organizations.

Netherlandss Minister of internal affairs and the parliaments Intelligence Committee is responsible for supervising the agencys espionage activities. The Intelligence Committee of Parliament consists of an Oversight Committee, whose members are appointed by the parliament, and speakers belonging to the four largest parties from the parliaments second chamber (Commons, Congress).

AIVD faced several scandals for example letting go of Frans van Anraat, who was convicted of different war crimes like providing materials to Saddam Hussein regime. AIVD is also accused of letting Abdul Qadeer Khan go, after steeling sensitive nuclear knowledge. The same knowledge was used by Pakistan to produce its first nuclear bomb. AIVD is also accused of not focusing on attacks by the Islamic groups, especially after September 11, 2001. One of them was the murder of Theo van Gogh by a member of Hofstad Network

Activities

The major Issues on AIVD agenda include:

Give warnings about risks to the national security.
Investigate terrorist threats and attacks.
Checking the background information of the people employed at important posts like members of oversight committee.
Monitor different groups like right-wing extremists and Islamic groups.

AIVD is authorized to tap internet and telephone lines of suspects and has access to police intelligence. The cooperation between police and AIVD is defined in the Intelligence and Security Act .It works closely with RID (Regionale Inlichtingen Dienst or Regional Intelligence Service) along with other domestic and foreign intelligence agencies.

Each year a report is published by AIVD, which contains the agencys budget. Where ever it is required, sensitive information is removed from published version of the report. Dutch Courts can force AIVD to publish personal record of any citizen, if it is relevant to their current case. Any private citizen cannot gain access to any information that is less than five years old.