Beyond The 'Black Widow': Meet Mata Hari, The Sensual Spy Who Danced Her Way Through Europe's Wartime Secrets

Following Mossad's "Black Widow" Catherine Perez Shekede's actions in "Operation Rising Lion," we delve into the legendary story of Mata Hari, the exotic dancer and alleged double agent who captivated Europe and became history's most notorious (and mysterious) female spy.

World's Most Dangerous Female Spy (X/@HistoricHub)

In the aftermath of Israel's "Operation Rising Lion" on June 13, attacking Iranian nuclear targets, there is a new name in the espionage world: Mossad's "Black Widow," Catherine Perez Shekede. The French-brokered agent is said to have executed the mission with precision, destroying Iran's nuclear program and killing important scientists and military leaders with eerie accuracy.

But even as Shekede becomes famous, the story turns to another widely regarded as the most dangerous woman ever to serve as a spy: Mata Hari, who supposedly had all of Europe under her spell.

Born Margaretha Geertruida Zelle in the Netherlands in 1876, Mata Hari gained notoriety as an exotic dancer in Paris around 1905. Her sensual beauty and dance drew attention from throughout Europe, including high military leaders from both Germany and France. This is where her career of spying allegedly started.

Mata Hari supposedly employed her allure in extracting secrets from German officers, which she communicated to the French government. Nevertheless, there remain suspicions that she was a double agent, perhaps spying on Hitler's forces as well.

Mata Hari was arrested on German espionage charges in 1917. Though insisting that she was only a dancer, she remained imprisoned but was convicted and given the death penalty. Blindfolded, she was executed by a firing squad. Her true loyalty—whether to France or Germany—she kept hidden, though it is commonly accepted that senior military leaders from both countries had shared their secrets with her.