Sinking of the Rainbow Warrior

The sinking of the Rainbow Warrior, codenamed Operation SATANIC, was a special operation by the "action" branch of the French foreign intelligence services, the Direction Générale de la Sécurité Extérieure (DGSE), carried out on July 10, 1985. It aimed at disabling the flagship of Greenpeace, the Rainbow Warrior, in the port of Auckland, New Zealand, to prevent her from interfering in a nuclear test in Mururoa.

Related Topics:
DGSE - July 10 - 1985 - Flagship - Greenpeace - Rainbow Warrior - Auckland - New Zealand - Nuclear test - Mururoa

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Fernando Pereira, a photographer, drowned on the sinking ship; two of the French agents were subsequently arrested by the New Zealand Police and charged with murder. The ensuing scandal resulted in the resignation of the French Defence Minister, and the subject became so touchy that it was not until twenty years afterward that the personal responsibility of French President François Mitterrand was officially admitted.

Related Topics:
Fernando Pereira - New Zealand Police - Murder - François Mitterrand

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