Japan officials discuss strengthening counterespionage, establishing CIA-like agency

October 9, 2026 by Leave a comment

Sanae TakaichiJAPAN HAS HELD THE first meeting of an expert panel to discuss strengthening intelligence capabilities and anti-espionage measures. The agenda included weighing proposals for establishing a new foreign-oriented intelligence agency, as the Japanese government seeks to address long-standing gaps in its counterespionage posture and laws.

The closed-door session took place in late September. It was joined by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, who led a 17-member panel of officials. The session reportedly focused on strengthening Japan’s intelligence capabilities and planned the drafting of a formal medium and long-term national intelligence-strategy document.

The panel reviewed counter-espionage legalization through establishing a new foreign interference prevention law, among other legal innovations. Japan has lacked a comprehensive anti-espionage law since Allied occupation authorities dismantled most of its intelligence-gathering apparatus following World War II. The lack of an anti-espionage law has limited the nation’s ability to prosecute spies and negotiate exchanges for Japanese nationals detained abroad.

The panel also discussed the creation of an external intelligence agency, comparable to the United States Central Intelligence Agency. Such a body was affirmed as a priority in the October 2025 coalition agreement between Takaichi’s Liberal Democratic Party and the Japan Innovation Party, with the new agency reportedly set to be established by early 2028. If realized, such a move would represent a significant shift in Japan’s intelligence infrastructure.

Following the meeting, Prime Minister Takaichi held a press conference in which she expressed her concerns over what she referred to as the increasing threats to Japan’s advanced technology, cyberattacks targeting both public and private sectors, and the challenge of foreign disinformation campaigns. She highlighted the need to expand Japan’s foreign intelligence capabilities to prevent “undue interference from abroad”, referring to increased cooperation between China, North Korea and Russia, and the threats it presents.

Since taking office in October 2025, Takaichi has made intelligence and security reform a top policy priority of her government. She has repeatedly stated her intention to increase Japan’s intelligence and counterespionage capabilities, with the aim of addressing growing security threats. TextIn March 2026, Takaichi’s administration adopted a bill to establish the Japanese equivalent of the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), aimed at tightening scrutiny of foreign investment in sensitive sectors. In July 2026, the Japanese government launched the National Intelligence Council—chaired by Takaichi herself—and the National Intelligence Bureau, both of which are tasked with collecting intelligence related to national security and public safety.

► Author: Molly Jones | Date: 9 October 2026 | Permalink

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Germany arrests former BND spy chief on suspicion of espionage, treason

October 7, 2026 by 1 Comment

BND BerlinON THE MORNING OF October 6, 2026, news broke that German investigators had arrested August Hanning at his home in Nordwalde, near Münster, on suspicion of espionage and the disclosure of state secrets, potentially constituting treason. The 80-year-old Hanning is also accused of attempted treason and of acting as an agent for a foreign intelligence service.

These are serious allegations that could have grave consequences for the Germany, given that Hanning was head of the Bundesnachrichtendienst (BND), Germany’s civilian foreign intelligence service, from 1998 to 2005. After leaving this position, Hanning served as a Staatssekretär (state secretary—the highest-ranking civil servant) at the Federal Ministry of the Interior. What is publicly known at this time is that Hanning is suspected of having illegally gained access to classified BND information for several years after leaving his position there. He allegedly received this information from his former office manager (Büroleiter), identified only as Manfred D., who has also been arrested.

The Federal Prosecutor’s Office, which is in charge of the case, reportedly became aware of Hanning’s suspected activities after it raided a number of private and business premises used by Hanning. The searches took place in connection with a cross-border custody case involving the attempted kidnapping of two children in Denmark on behalf of their mother. Hanning has always denied any involvement in the alleged kidnapping attempt or other wrongdoing related to the custody case.

On the intelligence front, it is now alleged that Hanning and his former colleague, “D.”, agreed as early as 2010 that “D.” would provide material to his former superior. The material found during the investigation indicates that this arrangement continued at least until June 2022. Overall, it appears that Hanning received close to 2,000 documents. “D.” most likely received payments for providing the documents—although the amount is not currently known. The former office manager himself retired in March 2026, after serving as head of office for several of Hanning’s successors.

In at least one case, Hanning appears to have used confidential material (Verschlusssache) to produce an analysis intended for “an agent of a foreign intelligence service”. It is currently unclear whether this analysis was merely drafted, or whether it was also delivered to the foreign agent. While it is not known which foreign country the intelligence service belongs to, it was almost immediately alleged that it is not Russia. This has the hallmarks of a controlled leak by the German authorities, who presumably wish to advertise this with a very high degree of certainty to the German public and their allies alike.

In another case, Hanning stands accused of having used information from BND documents in his communications with an agent of a foreign power.

Many of the documents and pieces of information provided were intelligence reports prepared for the weekly high-level meeting of Germany’s security services at the Federal Chancellery. Some of the reports are described as highly sensitive, dealing with topics such as the Iranian nuclear program or the Russian Armed Forces. Material from allied intelligence services might also have been handed over to Hanning. Read more of this post

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U.S. charges Cuban national with conspiracy to finance terrorism on behalf of Russia

October 1, 2026 by 3 Comments

PetrozavodskUNITED STATES AUTHORITIES HAVE charged a Cuban dance teacher living in Russia with conspiracy to finance terrorism. According to the U.S. government, the Cuban national used the online alias “Dios” while coordinating a series of arson attacks across four European countries on behalf of the Russian intelligence services.

A recent investigation by German state broadcaster Deutsche Welle identified the individual behind the alias “Dios” as Oemis Romagoza Durruthy, a Cuban national. Born in Camagüey, Cuba, Romagoza has been living in Russia for at least the past seven years. He appears to work as a Latin dance teacher in “Made in Cuba”, a dance studio in the northern city of Petrozavodsk. After he reportedly faced financial strain, in 2023 Romagoza began to use Facebook to recruit individuals from Latin America looking for work in Poland or Ukraine. He would then transition the encrypted application Telegram to communicate with those interested in speaking with him, offering them $1,500 for each completed “operation”.

Romagoza’s recruits were largely Spanish-speaking migrants, Ukrainian refugees, and local youths with no prior connection to Russia or the Russian intelligence services. Investigators claim they were able to identify at least 12 such individuals who were recruited by Romagoza and directed to carry out surveillance and sabotage across Europe. These recruits were typically employed online and had no knowledge of their real employers (i.e. Russian intelligence) or the intended objective of their assignments.

One of Romagoza’s alleged recruits was Luis Alfonso Murillo Diosa, a 34-year-old Colombian national. Romagoza initially contacted Diosa in a Latin American-themed Facebook group for users seeking to join the Ukrainian military. Romagoza offered Murillo a “special mission” in Europe instead of deployment to Ukraine. He also reportedly offered to coordinated Murillo’s travel and logistics in Europe. Without ever meeting Murillo in person, Romagoza instructed him to travel to Bucharest in July 2024 and take photos of a recycling facility and an oil well. Murillo was then instructed by Ramagoza to start a fire. However, Murillo was apprehended by Romanian officials. Upon his arrest, he claimed he did not intend to commit arson and told Romanian investigators he did not know who he was working for. Romanian authorities eventually sentenced Murillo to six years in prison for attempted sabotage in 2025.

U.S. authorities claim that Romagoza’s network was active between June and September 2024. During that time, the network allegedly set fire to two construction-supply businesses in Poland, a bus garage in the Czech Republic, a Romanian recycling facility, and a Lithuanian warehouse filled with equipment destined for Ukraine. Read more of this post

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Men with Russian links charged with conspiracy to infiltrate US Secret Service

September 28, 2026 by 2 Comments

US Secret ServiceTWO MEN HAVE BEEN charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud after allegedly concealing a software company’s Russian ownership from the United States government and trying to work as contractors for the Secret Service. Founded in 1865 and currently operating under the Department of Homeland Security, the Secret Service is a federal law enforcement agency with a dual mission of protecting America’s national leaders and investigating financial crimes.

On September 20, American and British authorities arrested Lee Reiber, a 55-year-old American who served as chief executive officer (CEO) of Oxygen Forensics, and Oleg Davydov, a 52-year-old Russian national, who co-founded the company and served as its chief technology officer. Reiber was arrested in the US state of Idaho and Davydov was apprehended at London Heathrow Airport in the United Kingdom prior to boarding a flight to Istanbul, Turkey. The US is expected to seek his extradition in the coming days. Shortly prior to the arrests of the two men, US authorities reportedly seized 57 internet domains, cyber infrastructure, and corporate bank accounts owned by the firm.

Based in Alexandria, Virginia, Oxygen Forensics develops software to recover, preserve and analyze electronic data from digital devices. Davydov originally founded a Russian-based predecessor company, Oxygen Software LLC (renamed to MKO Systems LLC in September 2022), in 2000. That company sold the same software directly to Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB), Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation (ICRF), and Ministry of Internal Affairs. Davydov established Oxygen Forensics in 2013, with Reiber joining in 2015. In March 2022, one month after the invasion of Ukraine and the US-imposed sanctions on Russia, Reiber was named its CEO, president, and chairman of the board.

According to court filings, the firm’s Russian owners were removed from the company’s public corporate filings following Reiber’s appointment that same month. Prosecutors allege Davydov and four other Russian nationals continued to secretly own and control the company through a Cyprus-based holding company. According to an affidavit filed with the criminal complaint, affected entities include the US Department of Defense and three components of the US Department of Homeland Security. Read more of this post

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US indicts members of Russian spy cell for plotting assassinations on US, European soil

September 21, 2026 by 2 Comments

IndictmentTHE UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT of Justice unsealed last week charges against members of an alleged Russian intelligence network that planned a series of targeted assassinations in the United States and Europe. According to the indictment, the accused are part of a broad effort by the Russian state that amounts to a “global assassination network”—termed “intelligence services of the Russian Federation”, or “RIS”, network.

Three of the accused are believed to be senior members of the RIS network. They are: Yuri Khrameev, 63; his biological son, Kirill Khrameev, 27; and Oemis Romagoza Durruthy, 35. The elder Khrameev is a retired intelligence officer who claims to have reached the rank of colonel and has stated at least once that he worked alongside Russian President Vladimir Putin in the past. The younger Khrameev is believed to hold a mid-level rank in Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB). The indictment describes Durruthy as a well-known member of the Cuban expatriate community in Russia, who has operated internationally as a member of the RIS network.

The fourth suspect is named as Yaidel Delgado Suarez (known as “the Viking”), who, like Durruthy, is a Cuban expatriate living in Russia. The remaining suspect is named as Angel Eduardo Castro, a 22-year-old Venezuelan. Notably all five suspects remain at large and are believed to reside in Russia. The Khrameevs and Durruthy are Russian citizens. Durruthy is also a Cuban national, as is Suarez—the latter’s status described in the indictment as that of “a Cuban national living in Russia”. Castro is referred to as a “Venezuelan national living in Russia”. It is therefore not known whether Suarez and Castro also hold Russian citizenship—though they most likely do.

According to the indictment, in the summer of 2026 Suarez and Castro recruited a Venezuelan citizen who was living in the New York area. The unnamed Venezuelan, who is referred to in the indictment as “Resident 1”, agreed to engage in reconnaissance activity in the vicinity of a house where the RIS network believed an exiled Russian dissident resided. In exchange for his services, “Resident 1” was promised between $1,000 and $1,500. The recruit was also offered $40,000 in exchange for assassinating the RIS network’s target, but appears to have declined the offer. Read more of this post

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Germany charges businesswoman with espionage, expels her alleged Russian handler

September 19, 2026 by Leave a comment

Russian embassy in GermanyGERMAN FEDERAL PROSECUTORS HAVE formally charged a businesswoman with espionage on behalf of Russian intelligence, claiming she was tasked with gaining access to political and military circles in Germany. The woman, 56, officially identified only as Ilona W., is believed to hold German, Russian, and Ukrainian citizenship. She was arrested on January 21, 2026, and remains in pre-trial detention. The indictment was filed by Germany’s Federal Public Prosecutor’s Office on September 7, 2026.

The woman reportedly ran a consulting firm in Berlin and chaired a lobbying association. Through her role, she allegedly gained substantial access to elite political and military spheres across Germany. Prosecutors allege she had been in contact with a Russian intelligence officer stationed at the Russian Embassy in Berlin since October 2023. Throughout this time, it is alleged she provided her handler with intelligence on high-value political events. This information enabled him to attend some of these events under a false identity, with the aim of cultivating contacts for intelligence purposes.

The woman reportedly attended the events herself in order to identify and recruit potential contacts and targets—particularly from Germany’s Defense ministry and defense industry. Prosecutors claim she “compiled background information on participants in high-profile political events and gathered information on arms industry sites, drone tests and planned deliveries of drones to Ukraine”. The woman was also photographed at the December 2025 German-Ukrainian Economic Forum in Berlin, seated several rows behind Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz. It is also claimed the alleged spy cultivated a former head of the German Air Force’s 61st Test and Evaluation Center and a retired officer from Büchel Air Base, which stores United States nuclear weapons. Neither individual was detained and it remains unclear whether she obtained valuable intelligence from either of them.

The woman’s arrest triggered an immediate diplomatic confrontation between Berlin and Moscow. Within 72 hours of her detention, the German government expelled a Russian diplomat, identified as Andrei Mayorov, a colonel at the Main Directorate of the Russian Armed Forces’ General Staff—commonly known as GRU. Mayorov was serving as a deputy military attaché at the Russian Embassy in Berlin. He is accused of directing the alleged spy’s intelligence-gathering activities. His expulsion drew strong condemnation from Moscow, which vowed to retaliate.

This case reflects a broader pattern of Russian intelligence activity across Europe following the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, which blurs the line between legitimate diplomatic activity and covert intelligence-gathering.

► Author: Molly Jones | Date: 19 September 2026 | Permalink

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Spanish NATO officer suspended from duty for dating Russian-born woman

September 16, 2026 by 2 Comments

Northwood Allied Maritime Command (MARCOM)A MILITARY OFFICER FROM Spain—a North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) member—has been suspended from duty following an investigation into his relationship with a woman born in the former Soviet Union, amid fears she may have been spying for Moscow.

The unidentified Spanish naval commander, a married father of two, served at the Allied Maritime Command (MARCOM) at Northwood Headquarters in Hertfordshire, United Kingdom. MARCOM duties include the monitoring of Russian submarines, warships operating in United Kingdom waters and tracking sanctioned oil tankers from the Russian ‘shadow fleet’—a network of tankers used by the Russian state to clandestinely transport crude oil and evade international sanctions.

The Spaniard reportedly met Janina White, 49, on the online dating app Tinder in October 2024. White is believed to have been born in the Soviet Union but relocated to Poland and then to the United Kingdom as a teenager. She currently resides in Romford, London and holds joint Polish-British nationalities. Shortly prior to entering into a romantic relationship with the Spanish naval commander, White reportedly split from her British husband. The NATO commander is also believed to have separated from his wife shortly before starting a relationship with White.

Initial concerns were raised in December 2024 when, according to court documents, the couple attended a Christmas function at Northwood Headquarters. The following day, White reportedly accompanied her boyfriend to Oeiras, Portugal, while he attended an official meeting at Naval Striking and Support Forces NATO. The facility serves as NATO’s primary platform for integrating United States maritime forces into the Alliance’s operations. White maintains this was her only visit of substance to a NATO facility and insists she never entered classified areas. Read more of this post

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Chinese-Belgian national charged with espionage involving microchips

September 13, 2026 by 2 Comments

State Security Service BelgiumA CHINESE-BELGIAN NATIONAL and former senior employee at a now-bankrupt microchip manufacturer remains in custody in Belgium on suspicion of espionage involving semiconductors. The suspect, who worked for BelGaN, is accused of attempting to transfer specialized intellectual property and trade secrets involving gallium nitride semiconductors—a technology critical to next-generation civilian and military devices.

Identified only as H.L., the suspect is a 52-year-old dual Belgian-Chinese national who reportedly held a senior research position at BelGaN, a microchip maker based in Oudenaarde, East Flanders. The company was the last industrial microchip producer in Belgium, specializing in gallium nitride semiconductors. It was overtaken by a consortium of Chinese investors in February 2022 before declaring bankruptcy in July 2024.

H.L. was reportedly arrested by Belgian authorities on May 10 at Zaventem airport in Brussels, as he was preparing to board a flight to Beijing. He faces four charges: espionage, participation in a criminal organization, misuse of company assets, and unlawful disclosure of trade secrets. A second suspect, reportedly former BelGaN CEO Alan Zhou Zhen, remains at large.

Investigators suspect H.L. simultaneously served as a director of Gankool, a company based in China’s Fujian province. Financed by a Chinese investment fund, the company was established a few months after BelGaN’s takeover by a Chinese investment fund. Gankool allegedly produces the same microchip technology as BelGaN. H.L. is accused of illegally transferring BelGaN’s specialized intellectual property and trade secrets to the Chinese firm.

This case highlights a pattern Belgium’s State Security Service explicitly flagged recently, terming it “mirror companies”. The practice refers to cases where Chinese investors acquire promising but underfunded European technology firms. The investors proceed to extract the European firms’ technology and establish a parallel company in China that replicates production at scale—often selling off the original European firm afterward.

► Author: Molly Jones | Date: 13 September 2026 | Permalink

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Purchase of Cyprus hotel by Chinese firm raises alarm in nearby British military base

September 7, 2026 by 6 Comments

City of Dreams CyprusA CHINESE-OWNED LUXURY hotel in Cyprus has sparked concerns among British intelligence and military officials that it could be used to spy on Royal Air Force (RAF) Akrotiri, one of the United Kingdom’s most strategically important overseas military bases. RAF Akrotiri is located in the Western Sovereign Base Area, which constitutes a British Overseas Territory on the island nation of Cyprus.

The hotel resort, known as the City of Dreams, is a 15-acre, 16-story complex located approximately 4.5 miles north of RAF Akrotiri. Military and intelligence officials have expressed concerns over its location, as it affords a panoramic view of one of the UK’s most critical overseas military bases. In addition to a host of British military aircraft, the base currently hosts both F-35 Lightning II stealth fighters and Lockheed U-2 (nicknamed “Dragon Lady”) reconnaissance aircraft operated by the United States Air Force. With the resort standing significantly taller than surrounding buildings and dominating the local skyline, British and American officials have noted the site’s potential to provide its owners with the ability to monitor aircraft movement, military personnel and other activity in and around the base. One source said that “there was no world in which the Chinese state would not seek to exploit the hotel’s location”.

The City of Dreams is owned by Melco Resorts and Entertainment, which is led by Chinese-Canadian billionaire Lawrence Ho. Ho reportedly sits on China’s National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), which is described as a “patriotic United Front” organization, populated by wealthy, influential, and well-connected individuals. Despite the claims, there has been no official evidence of espionage or wrongdoing by Ho, Melco, or the hotel. The City of Dreams has firmly denied the allegations, describing them as “entirely unfounded”. City of Dreams executives insist that the resort operates solely as a tourism and business destination.

This unease follows increased attention on Akrotiri’s security following the Iranian loitering munition that struck the base on March 1, 2026. It also echoes a 2024 case where the UK’s Secret Intelligence Service (MI6) and the US’s Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) reportedly raised the alarm over a Chinese-owned hotel overlooking a Swiss military base that housed F-35 aircraft. In a separate case in July 2026, a US senator requested a security review of a Chinese solar manufacturer’s purchase of a facility near a military base in Ohio, calling the manufacturer a potential Beijing “shell company”.

Security sources reportedly told the British press that the RAF base would implement counter-intelligence measures, but noted their limitations in being able to foil espionage operations from the City of Dreams site.

► Author: Molly Jones | Date: 07 September 2026 | Permalink

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South Korean court upholds sentence for university professor convicted of espionage

August 28, 2026 by 2 Comments

South Korea Defense Counterintelligence CommandSOUTH KOREA’S SUPREME COURT has upheld a five-year prison sentence for a Chinese university professor convicted of espionage, after prosecutors accused him of conspiring with a Chinese intelligence handler to recruit active-duty South Korean soldiers and obtain military secrets, including details on an American-supplied missile defense system.

The convicted agent, identified only as “Qing”, was reportedly spotted and recruited by an espionage cell, referred to as “Ken Jake”, which was led by Chinese Chief Case Officer Liu Nannan whilst completing his PhD in Taiwan. The cell’s primary focus was the collection of high-value secrets from South Korea and Taiwan, through human intelligence (HUMINT) targeting. Investigators stated that the intelligence “Qing” collected included details on the American THAAD (Terminal High Altitude Area Defense) mobile missile defense system, US-South Korea joint military exercise plans, Taiwan-related activities, and the location of a South Korean Navy vessel.

“Qing” operated between May 2024 and March 2025, using social media to approach and offer cash payments to soldiers. He also employed espionage equipment—including a camera hidden in a wristwatch—to evade face-to-face meetings while transferring stolen material. “Qing” also made several trips to South Korea’s Jeju Island to establish a dead-drop infrastructure for facilitating physical intelligence exchanges. He also met with individuals he believed were recruited military assets. The spy cell recruited Navy Corporal Jung Da-jung and Choi Hong-jae, a military conscript who reportedly received ₩ 7.1 million (about US $5,100) in exchange for providing military intelligence information. “Qing” also allegedly infiltrated anti-China/pro-Taiwan independence groups and attempted to gain close access to an unnamed female Taiwanese politician.

Following an undercover investigation by the South Korean Defense Counterintelligence Command (DCC), Qing was arrested in March 2025 by South Korean authorities while carrying out a dead-drop exchange on Jeju Island. DCC Lead Investigator Bang Tu-Cheol posed as an active-duty military asset and built credibility and trust through feeding fake documents to “Qing”. This eventually led to “Qing” meeting Bang on Jeju Island. The operation uncovered a broader network vulnerability when Chinese intelligence reportedly sent material obtained from Choi to Bang for cross-verification. South Korean investigators identified a technical link to Chinese-language file-sharing infrastructure, which allowed them to connect previously separate espionage cases. This discovery helped expose the wider “Ken Jake” cell.

► Author: Molly Jones | Date: 28 August 2026 | Permalink

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German investigators uncover suspected Russian spy weapons cache near Berlin

August 24, 2026 by 2 Comments

Brandenburg an der HavelGERMAN INVESTIGATORS SUSPECT THAT a hidden weapons cache discovered in a forest near Berlin was intended to be used by Russian intelligence operatives to carry out assassinations on German soil. The discovery of the cache was reported late last week by several German news outlets, including the Süddeutsche Zeitung newspaper and the North German Broadcasting (NDR) and West German Broadcasting (WDR) public television stations.

According to the reports, the discovery of the weapons cache is linked to the arrest of a Russian intelligence operative in Romania in 2025. The operative, who is believed to have assembled and hidden the weapons cache, revealed its existence under interrogation. Acting on this information, authorities in Germany found the cache, which had been hidden in a wooded area located on the border between the city of Berlin and Brandenburg.

The cache consists of at least two handguns and is “professionally assembled”, according to reports. German authorities believe that the weapons were hidden for future use by agents of the Russian government intent on carrying out “kinetic operations” on German soil or in nearby European states. Upon discovering the weapons, German investigators disabled them and fitted them with geolocation devices in order to monitor them. They also placed the area around the hidden weapons cache under electronic surveillance.

After waiting for several months, they determined that the intended users of the weapons were unlikely to retrieve them—possibly because they were aware that their location had been breached. They therefore decided to terminate the surveillance operation and publicly announce the discovery of the weapons. The Office of the German Federal Prosecutor is now preparing to bring charges involving conspiracy to perpetrate serious criminal acts against the security of the state.

► Author: Joseph Fitsanakis | Date: 24 August 2026 | Permalink

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Probe uncovers network of fake websites enticing Westerners to spy for China

August 17, 2026 by 1 Comment

FBIA COUNTERINTELLIGENCE INVESTIGATION INVOLVING five countries has uncovered a network of professionally designed websites offering to hire Western experts as consultants, but which are allegedly part of a Chinese spy operation. Thirteen websites have already been seized by the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation in coordination with counterintelligence agencies in Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, and New Zealand.

According to The Guardian, which reported on the apparent espionage network, these slick artificial intelligence-generated websites purport to belong to US-based international consultancies with convincing names. They advertise lucrative consultancy jobs in areas such as international politics and security, manufacturing, trade, and defense.

One such website illegally appropriated the name, corporate logo, and website content of Horizzen, a legitimate consultancy firm based in Brisbane, Australia. Last year, Horizzen began receiving emails and telephone calls from prospective employees, even though it did not seek to hire international consultants and had no interest in their areas of expertise. The FBI eventually discovered that the fake Horizzen website had been registered in India. Similar websites in the alleged Chinese spy network were found to have been registered in Pakistan and Thailand.

According to The Guardian report, the fake consultancy firms do not reveal their connection with China, pretending instead to be based in a various Western countries. Notably, the recruitment model is not one of immediate request for classified or proprietary information. Instead, the employers gradually entice their targets, initially by offering them large sums of money in return for open-source information. Eventually, however, the recruiters offer even larger sums of money in return for more sensitive—and eventually classified—information. At the same time, the communication between the employer and the target is moved to encrypted messaging platforms.

The primary targets of the alleged spy operation were US citizens, according to the FBI. Roman Rozhavsky, a senior FBI counterintelligence official, said that the fake consultancy network “illustrates the lengths the Chinese government’s intelligence services will go to as they try to use AI-generated content to trick, recruit, or coerce”.

► Author: Joseph Fitsanakis | Date: 17 August 2026 | Permalink

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Germany set to enact most sweeping intelligence reforms since World War II

August 13, 2026 by 5 Comments

Alexander DobrindtGERMANY IS ONE CLOSER to putting in motion the broadest and most wide-reaching reforms of its intelligence services since the end of World War II, which are expected to completely transform the country’s spy agencies. Among other powers, Germany’s two covert intelligence agencies will be given the ability to engage in offensive intelligence that includes carrying out sabotage and offensive information operations abroad.

Earlier this week, the proposed reforms were approved by the Federal Cabinet, which consists of German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and 17 senior federal ministers. Speaking in Berlin about the proposed reforms, Germany’s Minister of the Interior, Alexander Dobrindt (pictured), said on Wednesday that the nation’s intelligence services will be “turned into genuine secret services”. He went on to describe the proposed changes as “a revolution” in the history of German national security.

The proposed reforms apply to Germany’s two covert intelligence agencies: the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV) which operates domestically, and the Federal Intelligence Service (BND), which operates abroad. Since their establishment in the 1950s, the two agencies have been tasked with gathering intelligence for purely defensive/protective reasons. Both operate under stringent oversight by committees in the Bundestag—Germany’s lower house of parliament.

The proposed reforms will permit the agencies to neutralize “threats to Germany and its allies […] using kinetic means if necessary”. This means that special agents will be allowed to employ firearms and other weapons in the course of operations—though only in self-defense. They will also be permitted to engage in sabotage and other offensive information operations, and carry out offensive cyber espionage and cyber sabotage.

The government is largely justifying the as a response to what it describes as “state terrorism” in reference to Russian hybrid warfare—a phenomenon that Western European intelligence agencies consistently claim is growing in both scope and intensity. On the same day the German Federal Cabinet approved the proposed intelligence reforms, the Bloomberg news agency //reported// that the United States Central Intelligence Agency had reported its European counterparts that Moscow was preparing to intensify its campaign of “sabotage against infrastructure facilities and ‘false-flag’ operations” on European soil.

The proposed reforms will not become law until they are formally approved by the Bundestag in September. However, this is expected to occur with a high degree of certainty, given that the majority of seats is held by the governing coalition. The latter includes the center-left Social Democrats (SPD) and the center-right Christian Social Union (CSU) and Christian Democratic Union (CDU).

► Author: Joseph Fitsanakis | Date: 13 August 2026 | Permalink

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Czech businessman detained in China on espionage charges

August 6, 2026 by 1 Comment

Czech embassy Beijing ChinaA CZECH BUSINESSMAN, EMPLOYEE of a Czech radar manufacturer based in China, was detained by Chinese authorities in late June 2026 on suspicion of espionage, it has emerged. According to the Czech news outlet Denik N, which reviewed the relevant diplomatic correspondence, the charges concern “obtaining and passing on information without further specification”. The Chinese Foreign Ministry stated that the Czech citizen had been apprehended on “endangering national security”. However, neither Beijing nor Prague have officially confirmed or elaborated on the specific charges.

This case underscores ongoing diplomatic tensions between the Czechia and China, following the January 2026 arrest in Prague of Yang Yi-min, a Chinese journalist for Guangming Daily, on charges of acting as an unregistered agent of a foreign power. Yang remains in custody. The two detentions have fueled speculation of ‘hostage diplomacy’—a term that refers to the apprehension of foreign nationals as a means of exerting diplomatic leverage during disputes between states. However, the Czech Republic’s Minster of Foreign Affairs and Deputy Prime Minister, Petr Macinka, has publicly denied such speculation.

This case should be seen within the broader context of of Chinese-Czech relations in the post-COVID-19 era. Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš’s government, in office since December 2025, has sought to build a more pragmatic relationship with Beijing after years of tension under his predecessor, primarily over Prague’s positions on Taiwan. It is clear that the recent arrests further-complicate his administration’s China strategy.

Meanwhile, the businessman’s fate remains uncertain. China analyst Katerina Prochazkova, of the Sinopsis research initiative, outlined a range of possible outcomes in this case: a prisoner swap involving the Chinese national held in Prague, or a swifter resolution involving due process, consular access, and release without prolonged detention. However, she pointed to a less optimistic scenario—namely a lengthy investigation marked by limited transparency, noting that past cases have involved multi-year detentions before resolution.

The Speaker of the Czech Chamber of Deputies, Tomio Okamura, visited Beijing last month, with the aim of bolstering tourism and economic ties between the two countries. Reports circulated of a liaison between Okamura and Chinese authorities on a potential prisoner swap. However, as one Czech-China analyst noted, Okamura holds no formal foreign-policy authority and any intervention on his part would be at most an informal gesture.

► Author: Molly Jones | Date: 06 August 2026 | Permalink

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Canadian NATO intern arrested on suspicion of spying for third country

August 3, 2026 by 2 Comments

NATO SHAPE Mons BelgiumA CANADIAN WOMAN OF Chinese origin was arrested on Friday July 24 on suspicion of spying for a third-party country, whilst serving as an intern at the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE) in Mons, Belgium.

Belgian authorities stated on July 25 that the woman “is suspected of spying on behalf of a third country and of being a member of a criminal organization”. Security services at SHAPE were reportedly the first to convey concerns to the Belgian Federal Prosecutor’s Office over the woman’s behavior—such as staying at NATO facilities after hours and asking questions of her colleagues. This prompted a raid of the suspect’s residence and workplace inside NATO headquarters, which resulted in an order for her to be held in a one-month pretrial custody.

No official report from Belgian or Canadian authorities has disclosed the third country or criminal organization mentioned in the press release. Moreover, whilst no official authority has disclosed the suspect’s identity, a CBC News investigation reportedly traced her background to the name of Biwei Zhang, a systems engineer with an economics background, who had previously been employed at the Canadian Space Agency and Statistics Canada. The suspect has reportedly used other aliases such as “Claire” and “Catina”.

At a systemic level, this case underscores reservations concerning Canadian national security and the processing of security clearances in Canada. Such lapses can potentially harm the security of Canadian allies; notably, the present suspect allegedly held previous positions at the World Trade Organization and the European Space Agency. This case also flags the role of internships at global security organizations such as NATO. One report described the intern position as an “Achilles’ heel”, as it provides direct insight into the institutions at the core of global security architecture.

► Author: Molly Jones | Date: 03 August 2026 | Permalink

Filed under Expert news and commentary on intelligence, espionage, spies and spying Tagged with , , , , , ,

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