A former student assistant in the Municipality of Copenhagen has been arrested and charged with abusing lookups in the CPR register, raising concerns about potential gang infiltration and data security. The 27-year-old is accused of obtaining and selling confidential information, including addresses, to criminals, which was then used in an attempted murder.

Jens-Kristian Lütken, Mayor for Employment and Integration in Copenhagen, expressed serious concern about the incident, emphasizing the need to prevent similar situations seen in Sweden, where gang members have accessed public systems. The mayor highlighted the importance of tightening IT security within the municipality to prevent unauthorized access to confidential information.

The indictment states that the 27-year-old allegedly shared a specific person’s CPR number and address via an encrypted messaging service. Subsequently, two individuals traveled from Sweden to the person’s address with a weapon, but the attempted murder failed because the intended victim was not home.

Lütken acknowledged the possibility of wider gang infiltration within the municipality and plans to address the issue at a Finance Committee meeting. He suggested reviewing the security clearance requirements for accessing the CPR register as a potential measure.

Police reports indicate that the accused systematically accessed the CPR numbers of 1742 individuals. While a digital trail exists for employee searches, Lütken expressed regret that no alarm was triggered earlier in this case, prompting a need for investigation.

During a custody hearing, the 27-year-old partially admitted to sharing data from the CPR register but denied involvement in extortion and attempted murder. The mayor stressed that upgrading IT systems is more straightforward than addressing the broader issue of potential infiltration. He emphasized the need for police and intelligence services to determine if this is an isolated incident or part of a larger trend, highlighting the importance of awareness and potential legislative action to impose stricter penalties.