News you may have missed #839
June 5, 2013 Leave a comment
By IAN ALLEN | intelNews.org |
►►US officials say Comey in line to head FBI. US President Barack Obama plans to nominate James B. Comey, a former senior Justice Department official in the George W. Bush administration, to replace Robert S. Mueller III as FBI director, according to people with knowledge of the selection process. The expected nomination of Comey, a Republican, was seen in some quarters as a bipartisan move by a president besieged by Republicans in Congress. But Chuck Hagel’s prior service as a Republican senator from Nebraska did not spare him from a bruising nomination battle for Secretary of Defense.
►►Ex-KGB agent marks fourth year in Canada sanctuary. On June 1, Vancouver’s First Lutheran Church held a fourth anniversary dinner for Burnaby resident and former KGB officer Mikhail Lennikov. June 2 marked four years that Lennikov has been living at the church. He was ordered deported on June 3, 2009 because of his history with the KGB, the former Soviet secret service, although he has argued he poses no threat to Canadian security. Lennikov’s wife and son have been allowed to stay in the country on humanitarian and compassionate grounds and have also been living in the church.
►►Senior US intelligence official gets personal email hacked. In a rather embarrassing slip, the personal email account of Christopher Kojm, chairman of the US National Intelligence Council (NIC), has become the latest victim of the cracker known as Guccifer. The cracker allegedly grabbed email exchanges with 9/11 Commission members, banking information, personal correspondence, and documents covering the latest Obama administration’s transition earlier this year. Classified information doesn’t appear to have been compromised, although no doubt there are some embarrassing tidbits to be had.
By IAN ALLEN | intelNews.org |
intelNews.org 
Former KGB officer facing deportation voluntarily leaves Canada
August 18, 2015 by Ian Allen Leave a comment
Canadian authorities have refused to reveal the precise reason for the decision to issue deportation orders against the former KGB agent. But it is believed that his Soviet intelligence background is perceived by Canadian authorities as a national security threat. Lennikov has consistently rejected accusations that he is a threat to Canada’s national security and has previously stated that he voluntarily revealed his KGB background to Canadian authorities. He has also said that if sent back to Russia he could face imprisonment for having revealed his KGB background to a foreign government. In 2009, the former KGB officer sought refuge at the First Lutheran Church in Vancouver, where he lived until recently. Meanwhile, his wife and children, who have no connections to Soviet or Russian intelligence, were awarded asylum and eventually Canadian citizenship.
Last week, however, it emerged that Lennikov had left the Vancouver church that had been his home for six years. His lawyer, Hadayt Nazami, told reporters that the former KGB officer had left Canada. His departure appears to have taken place after an agreement was struck between him and the Canada Border Services Agency. Nazami said on Sunday that Lennikov had “left at the end of this week and left on his own accord, voluntarily, according to his own wishes and decisions he reached himself”. Canadian media reported that it “no longer seemed to be the case” that Lennikov would face treason charges if he went back to Russia. When asked about Lennikov’s whereabouts, Nazami told journalists that it was “something that I cannot comment on”, but added that his client “feels safe and we are going by that assumption”. Lennikov’s wife and children, who are Canadian citizens, plan to remain in Canada, said Nazami.
► Author: Ian Allen | Date: 19 August 2015 | Permalink
Filed under Expert news and commentary on intelligence, espionage, spies and spying Tagged with Canada, deportations, Hadayt Nazami, KGB, Mikhail Alexander Lennikov, News, Russia, Vancouver (Canada)