U.S. spy agencies told to gather intelligence on Greenland

U.S. officials have ordered spy agencies to ramp up efforts to gather intelligence on Greenland, according to two sources with knowledge of the matter, in a sign President Donald Trump apparently remains focused on acquiring the island.

U.S. officials have ordered spy agencies to ramp up efforts to gather intelligence on Greenland, according to two sources with knowledge of the matter, in a sign President Donald Trump apparently remains focused on acquiring the island.

The directive was first reported by The Wall Street Journal. 

The move has drawn objections from Denmark, a NATO ally which rules the semi-autonomous island.

Denmark’s foreign minister, Lars Løkke Rasmussen, has said he will summon the American ambassador over the report. “It worries me greatly because we do not spy on friends,” Rasmussen said, according to the Ritzau news agency.

The Office of the Director of Intelligence sent out a directive last week to intelligence agencies to gather information on Greenland’s independence political movement, perceptions about U.S. interest in the island’s resources and to identify people who back Washington’s goals for the Arctic island, the sources said.