Hey OP, was the DED linked by another poster the one you meant? 'Cause it is a German org., and France is not cited as a member.

As for the French Embassy in France (reminds me of the movie Top Secret and the French Resistance that was based in Germany, but I digress); from the wording, it *might* mean that a French Embassy based somewhere near the GoM is transmitting the info back to France for said GF to intercept.

Not that I am buying the story yet, but oh how I do love these types of threads. Please OP, give us more dish!