From a belly dancer to an agent… Who is the most seductive spy of the twentieth century?! (photo)

Mata Hari is one of the most mysterious and intriguing figures in the history of espionage. Born in the Netherlands in 1876 as Margareta Zelle, she went from a sexy belly dancer to a double agent accused of spying for Germany during World War I.

She began her life in a well-off family before it collapsed after her father’s bankruptcy and her mother’s death. Later, she married a Dutch officer and moved with him to the island of Java (now Indonesia), where she learned about the local “Gundrung” dance with its bold connotations. She mastered it and gave herself the artistic name “Mata Hari”, which means today’s eye in Malay.

After her return to Europe in 1903, she settled in Paris and became famous as a sexy dancer among the wealthy classes. She entered the world of politics and intelligence through the gate of temptation. Her name was associated with a number of military leaders, making her a valuable source of information.

As World War I escalated, French intelligence accused her of spying for Germany after intercepting a message that spoke of an agent known as “H-21.” She was arrested in Paris in 1917, and executed by firing squad on October 15 of the same year after a short trial.

Although the French prosecutor described her as “the woman who caused the death of fifty thousand soldiers,” modern historians believe that she was a scapegoat used by France to cover up its military failures.

Mata Hari refused to blindfold herself before the execution, bravely said she was ready, then blew a kiss to the soldiers before they opened fire.

Later, her mummified head disappeared from the Anatomy Museum in Paris under mysterious circumstances, leaving behind the legend of a woman who combined art, deception and the political consumption of beauty. (Russia Today)