Decision to evacuate eastern Libya divides US Intelligence Community
September 27, 2012 9 Comments
By JOSEPH FITSANAKIS | intelNews.org |
On September 12, just hours after heavily armed militia groups stormed the United States consulate in Benghazi, Libya, Washington made the decision to pull out its diplomats and intelligence officers from Eastern Libya. As US government envoys, spies and contractors started arriving at the Benina International Airport in Benghazi, many Libyans noted the “surprisingly large number” of Americans that came out of the woodwork. According to reports, at least a dozen of the American evacuees were in fact Central Intelligence Agency personnel. Their evacuation, which has essentially ended the presence of the CIA in eastern Libya’s most important city, is dividing the US Intelligence Community. On the one hand, some US intelligence insiders argue that the attack on the US consulate, which killed four US personnel, including Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens, necessitated the decision to evacuate. A number of former US government officials told The Los Angeles Times this week that the evacuation was “justified, given the dangers in Benghazi” for US personnel. Another current official told The New York Times that the evacuation of the CIA station in Benghazi does not necessarily mean that the US has lost its intelligence collection capabilities in eastern Libya. Washington can still intercept telephone calls and emails and conduct satellite reconnaissance in the North African region, said the official. Others, however, leveled sharp criticism against the decision of the White House to evacuate its diplomats and spies from Benghazi, arguing that the move marked “a major setback in [US] intelligence-gathering efforts” in the country. Robert Baer, a retired CIA officer with decades of experience in the Middle East, called the move “disastrous for US intelligence-gathering capabilities”. Writing in Time magazine, Baer said that shutting down the CIA station in Benghazi would make it “almost impossible to collect good human intelligence” in the region, and described the move as a sign of “America’s declining position” there. Read more of this post
By IAN ALLEN | intelNews.org |
intelNews.org 
Irish police uncover Real IRA surveillance ring
September 28, 2012 by Joseph Fitsanakis 4 Comments
Police in the Republic of Ireland have arrested two men suspected of spying on the operational headquarters of the Garda Siochana (Irish Police) in Dublin. The two men, aged 41 and 32, who have not been named, were arrested after one of them was recognized by police officers as a known member of the Real Irish Republic Army. The Real IRA, or RIRA, is an Irish republican paramilitary organization formed in 1997, following a split in the Provisional IRA — the armed wing of Sin Fein. It seeks to bring about a united Ireland, but is considered a terrorist group by the United Kingdom and the United States, among other countries. Gardai officers discovered that the Real IRA suspect had used a false name to book a room in a hotel directly overlooking the regional headquarters of the Gardai on Harcourt Street. The building houses, among other police units, the Gardai’s Special Branch and the Criminal Assets Bureau, both of which are used to investigate paramilitary activity in the Republic. Upon searching the room, Gardai officers reportedly found “hi-tech surveillance equipment”, including parabolic microphones and digital cameras. Anonymous Gardai sources claim the equipment was used to eavesdrop on conversations held inside the Gardai building across the street, and to record the license tags of private vehicles belonging to Gardai personnel. Read more of this post
Filed under Expert news and commentary on intelligence, espionage, spies and spying Tagged with Dublin (Ireland), Garda Síochána, Ireland, News, Real IRA, surveillance