Former Danish defence minister says he has been charged over alleged state secret leaks

Former Danish defense minister Claus Hjort Frederiksen said on Friday he has been charged with violating a section of the penal code, which includes treason, for having "violated the limits of my freedom of speech".

"I have spoken out as a member of parliament on a political issue, and I have nothing further to add at present. But I could never dream of doing anything that could harm Denmark or Denmark's interests," Frederiksen said in a statement.

Earlier this week, news broke that the head of Denmark's foreign intelligence unit, Lars Findsen, sits in custody over his involvement in a case of "highly classified" information leaks.