A retired French spy is facing preliminary charges of compromising national defense secrets in a recently published book that partially lifts the veil on the murky world of intelligence, AP reported. The Defense Ministry had filed a complaint against Maurice Dufresse, who wrote his book «Twenty-Five Years in the Secret Services» under the pen-name Pierre Siramy. Among other things, the book describes how spies recruit sources and various espionage affairs. The former agent for the DGSE counterintelligence agency, who retired in November, was detained for questioning Tuesday. Judicial officials said Thursday that preliminary charges had been filed, giving investigating magistrates more time to complete their investigation. -- SPA