Karel Nihom was arrested in Winterswijk, his town of residence, on 6 October 1939 by order of the Ministry of Justice. He was interrogated for two days and then prohibited from living near the German border. After that, he moved to The Hague. Years later, it became clear why the Ministry had acted in this way: Karel Nihom was engaged in espionage for the British intelligence service. By the standards of his day, this ‘endangered the neutrality of the Netherlands vis-à-vis friendly powers’. The friendly power in question was Germany. The German counterespionage agency was aware of his activities, and his name was on the Fahndungslisten (wanted lists).
During the German invasion, Karel Nihom tried to escape to England, fearful of falling into German hands. This attempt failed, and he ended his life on the morning of 15 May 1940.
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