France Sent Their Dumbest Spies to Blow Up This Boat in NZ

French government agents, in a comically inept secret operation, bombed the Greenpeace ship Rainbow Warrior in New Zealand, killing one person and leading to international diplomatic fallout.

• French spies bombed the Greenpeace ship Rainbow Warrior in New Zealand, killing one person.

• The operation was marked by severe incompetence from the French agents, leading to their easy identification and partial capture.

• The attack resulted in international condemnation, a significant compensation package, and solidified New Zealand's anti-nuclear stance.

In 1985, France's 'Opération Satanique' involved a series of blunder-prone spy teams tasked with sinking the Greenpeace ship Rainbow Warrior in Auckland, New Zealand, which was protesting French nuclear testing. The bombing resulted in one death and exposed the French government's involvement due to the agents' numerous operational mistakes, leading to a major international incident and significant compensation payments.

The Rainbow Warrior Attack

• 00:00:00 On July 10, 1985, two bombs detonated in Waitemata Harbor, Auckland, sinking the Greenpeace ship Rainbow Warrior and killing photographer Fernando Pereira. This act was part of a French government operation to stop Greenpeace from protesting their nuclear testing in Mururoa, an atoll that had been France's nuclear testing HQ since 1972. The protest was aimed at both above-ground and underground/underwater testing, with Auckland serving as a rest stop before the Warrior was to lead other ships to Mururoa.

The Incompetent Spies

• 00:01:07 The French operation, codenamed 'Opération Satanique,' involved several teams of agents, many of whom displayed remarkable incompetence. Christine Caban, on recon, was overtly suspicious, while the married duo Dominique Prieur and Aaron Mafart used uncreative aliases. A team smuggling explosives was noted for partying and brandishing the French flag, making them highly memorable to locals, and the dive team, despite being the most competent, still accidentally killed someone during the bombing. Their numerous blunders, including abandoning equipment and returning a rental van to the scene of the crime, greatly aided the subsequent police investigation.

Flawed Operation & Capture

• 00:03:07 On the night of the bombing, Team 3 attached two bombs to the Rainbow Warrior, timed four hours apart, leading to Fernando Pereira's death during the second explosion. The subsequent police investigation quickly found incriminating evidence, such as French-marked oxygen tanks, a traceable Zodiac boat motor, and numerous eyewitness accounts of the spies' bizarre behaviors. Dominique Prieur and Aaron Mafart were caught attempting to get a refund for their rental camper van, which police had already linked to the bombing, and further incriminated themselves by calling their French bosses from a bugged hotel room.

International Fallout

• 00:06:00 Prieur and Mafart pleaded guilty to manslaughter and received 10-year sentences, but France exerted economic pressure on New Zealand, leading to a UN-brokered deal. France paid $7 million to New Zealand and $8 million to Greenpeace for a new boat and Pereira's family, in exchange for the agents serving shorter sentences in French custody, which were cut even further. The incident significantly boosted Greenpeace's legitimacy and solidified New Zealand's nuclear-free identity, ultimately leading to France stopping nuclear testing entirely by 1996.