According to a report in the country, WiSpear employees were arrested on charges of using sophisticated equipment to spy on civilians • "They were walking around a commercial vehicle with listening and tracking equipment installed" • The company where the three employees were founded by Col. Millill Dillian, formerly the unit's commander The technology of AMN

• Captured commercial vehicle parked in a Cyprus police station // Photo: Reuters

Cyprus authorities arrested three employees of a high-tech company founded by a former Israeli intelligence officer on Thursday, according to media reports in the neighboring country.

Cypriot police say the three detainees - two men and a woman aged 30 to 41 - are working at WiSpear, which opened an investigation following a report of a car with sophisticated surveillance equipment used to spy on the island's citizens.

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The detainees are suspected of violating local privacy and personal information laws. Among the possible charges, it was reported, fraudulent registration, and conspiracy to commit a criminal act. They are due in court tomorrow. The report said that WiSpear strongly denied ever operating illegally, and that it had never provided "intelligence systems" to Cyprus entities or provided "intelligence services."

The company noted that the car in question was intended only for demonstration and field testing purposes, and that its operations were coordinated in advance with state law enforcement officials.

Commercial vehicle seized by Cypriot police // Photo: Reuters

The founder of the company is Israeli Tal Dillian, Col. Mil, who served as commander of the Technological Unit of the Israel Defense Forces. He recently blamed the Cypriot authorities for dealing with his company because of internal pressure in the country. The company is registered in Cyprus. It is alleged that he was driving on an island in a vehicle where listening equipment and secret observation were installed.

Police in Cyprus confiscated a commercial vehicle containing advanced spyware and surveillance technology last month, after the car's owners claimed that it was capable of using the vehicle, breaking into communications networks and disrupting them within a mile radius. The car owner is reportedly a Dillian.

The investigation began after a local media body reviewed an article in Forbes magazine in August this year about the advanced tracking vehicle found in Larnaca, and according to publications, it was able to break in and listen to whatsap calls, Facebook chats, calls and obtaining all contacts on the hacked phone.