Further details on German spy arrests in Kosovo

December 1, 2008 by Leave a comment

Further detailed information has seen the light of day in relation to the recent arrest of three German intelligence agents in Kosovo. The three spies, which were arrested while investigating the scene of an explosion at the EU offices in Pristina, were part of a constant presence in the Kosovar capital of the Bundesnachrichtendienst, or BND, Germany’s foreign intelligence service. Their cover was being employed by a BND front company called LCAS (Logistics-Coordination & Assessment Service), which was registered in Munich in April of 2007, and has “offices” in Pristina. The operation was so secret that “the official BND attaché stationed at the German Embassy in Pristina knew nothing of it. The German ambassador was likewise in the dark”, according to a new report by Der Spiegel. This would also explain (though not necessarily justify) why it was these agents, and not the BND resident at the German Embassy, who were sent to investigate the explosion at the EU building on November 14. The Kosovar government is now expected to use the information it gained from the arrest of the three agents, as well as from raiding the LCAS office in Pristina, to uncover the “extensive network of informants among high-ranking functionaries of the KLA and the Kosovar administration […] which is more extensive in Kosovo than in most countries around the world” and which the BND has maintained since the early 1990s in this former region of Serbia. Specifically, the Spiegel article further states that “the Kosovo government may now arrest large numbers of informants who have provided the BND with valuable information”. [JF]

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Nicaragua becomes second nation to recognize breakaway Georgian republics

November 30, 2008 by Leave a comment

Contrary to common belief, Russia is not the only nation to recognize the Georgian breakaway republics of South Ossetia and Abkhazia. Both republics declared their independence in the early 1990s while engaging in armed confrontations with Georgian government forces. Following the 2008 South Ossetia War, Russia extended formal recognition of both Abkhazia and South Ossetia, giving considerable boost to pro-independence voices in the two regions. On September 5, 2008, Nicaragua became only the world’s second country to formally recognize the two tiny republics of the Caucasus. On November 29, Georgia responded to Nicaragua’s recognitions by suspending diplomatic ties with the government of Daniel Ortega. In light of Dmitri Medvedev’s recent historic tour of Latin American capitals, it will be interesting to see whether the remaining member-states of the Bolivarian Alternative for the Americas (ALBA), namely Venezuela, Cuba, Nicaragua, Bolivia, Honduras, and Dominica, will also side with Russia in recognizing Abkhazia and South Ossetia. [JF]

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UK spy trial outcome linked with Iran covert operation?

November 28, 2008 by Leave a comment

On November 17, intelNews reported on a possible covert infiltration operation by British agents along Iran’s southeastern border. Interestingly, Iran appeared to deny reports from Reuters that it had busted the undertaking. Now another British-Iranian spy scandal has been added to this interesting mix. A court in London has sentenced Daniel James (born Esmail Gamasai in Tehran, Iran) to 10 years for spying for Iran while serving as personal interpreter to General Sir David Richards, Britain’s top General and the most senior military commander of the multinational NATO force in Afghanistan. In late 2006, James made contact with Colonel Mohammad Hossein Heydari, military attaché at the Iranian Embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan, sending him classified documents and stating “I am at your service”. He was arrested in December of that year. James was convicted of “a single count of communicating information useful to an enemy”, though the jury had to take the British government’s word that he was arrested “before he could become a fully-fledged agent”. What is interesting, in connection with the alleged covert operation by British agents in southeaster Iran, is that the British government suddenly decided not to try James under the full extent of the law in accordance with the Official Secrets Act. Instead, the prosecuting QC “applied for the charges to be allowed to lie on file, meaning there would be no further proceedings”. This has caused knowledgeable observers to question whether the decision to back off this case is in some way linked to the busted covert operation in southeaster Iran earlier this month. Should we be expecting a spy trade-off soon, or has one already taken place? Watch this space. [JF]

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British nationals among Mumbai attackers

November 28, 2008 by Leave a comment

Reports in the Indian media state that at least two “British citizens of Pakistani origin” were among the small army that has attacked selected targets in Mumbai in the past few days.  The source of the information is apparently Indian Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh, as has been confirmed by the Associated Press. In a related development, the head of Inter-Services Intelligence, the Pakistani intelligence service, is preparing to visit India to assist in the investigation of the Mumbai attacks. It is not clear when exactly General Ahmed Shuja Pasha, the head of the ISI, will b e leaving for India; but if he does indeed go, it will be the first time that the head of the ISI will have visited India. [IA]

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US intensifies attack on Bolivia

November 28, 2008 by Leave a comment

George W. Bush has been dismissed as a “lame duck” President, but his aggressive policy on Bolivia points otherwise. Although at the last stages of his presidency, Bush appears to be intensifying its vindictive war on the South American nation. Specifically, on Wednesday the White House announced that the US will be suspending “special trade benefits with Bolivia because of its failure to cooperate in drug-fighting efforts”. The “failure to cooperate in drug-fighting efforts” refers to the recent decision of the Bolivian government to halt the operations of the US Drug Enforcement Agency in the country, after it discovered that the agency tried to tap the telephone conversations of Bolivian President, Evo Morales, and actively funded and supported anti-government secessionist movements in selected oil-rich provinces. Using standard blackmail terminology, White House spokesperson Dana Perino stated that “the benefits can be restored if Bolivia were to improve its performance under the criteria of both programs and at the president’s discretion”. [IA]

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US President briefed about severe cyber-attack on Pentagon

November 28, 2008 by Leave a comment

Conflicting and muddled reports have emerged in the US media about a purported cyber-attack that struck the Pentagon’s computers last month. The only thing that appears certain at this point is that the attack “raised potential implications for national security” that were considered important enough to brief the President. It also appears that the malicious software-based attack severely affected computer networks at CentCom, which oversees US military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. According to one report, the software originated in Russia and appeared “designed specifically to target military networks”. Another report claims the attack actually originated in China, although “[m]ilitary electronics experts have not pinpointed the source or motive of the attack”. The pattern of the reports appears to point to yet another case of “the Pentagon once again has no idea what’s the matter with their computer networks so they’re simply blaming the usual suspects (Russia and China) hoping to deflect attention from the dire security standards in government computer networks”. [JF]

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US vehicle rams Russian diplomatic car in Baghdad

November 28, 2008 by Leave a comment

The Russian Foreign Ministry has protested that a US armored (presumably military, but it remains unclear) vehicle rammed a US diplomatic car in Baghdad. The incident, which the US Pentagon has said it will investigate, happened a week ago, while the Russian diplomatic vehicle was driving through Baghdad’s Green Zone on its way to the city’s international airport. According to the Russian statement a three-car Russian diplomatic convoy was in the process of “being overtaken by a line of five US vehicles, one of which suddenly shifted sideways, injuring the diplomats”. One Russian Foreign Ministry official said the US vehicles then sped away, with “some of the [US] soldiers pointing their rifles at the Russians”. [IA]

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Brennan withdraws from intelligence post consideration

November 26, 2008 by Leave a comment

On November 16, 2008, we reported that John Brennan, former head of the National Counterterrorism Center and supporter of so-called “enhanced interrogation techniques”, was  said to be “a potential candidate for a top intelligence post” (the CIA) under Barack Obama. On November 22, a group of 200 psychology professionals issued an open letter to the US President-Elect, expressing strong concerns about the possibility of Brennan heading the CIA. Three days later, Brennan sent Obama a letter [pdf] requesting that his “name be withdrawn from consideration for a position within the Intelligence Community”. An Obama spokesman has confirmed that the President-Elect has accepted Brennan’s request. An ABC News commentator has correctly pointed out that “Brennan […] continues to work on the Obama Transition Team and though he removed his name from consideration for an Intelligence job, there’s nothing to say he won’t land a spot in the Obama administration”. [IA]

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Is Blackwater being used in black ops in Iraq?

November 26, 2008 by Leave a comment

There is admittedly nothing special about the mercenary military firm, Blackwater, illegally smuggling weapons and related material into Iraq. The company is said to be facing large fines for having been caught around 900 times violating US State Department authorization prohibitions relating to the export of weapons or other technologies. The latest case, however, is a little bit different: Blackwater is being investigated for illegally shipping to Iraq assault weapons and silencers, hidden among sacks of dog food. Former CIA officer John Kiriakou has questioned the need for silencers by Blackwater and is quoted as saying that “the only reason you need a silencer is if you want to assassinate someone”. These latest revelations go some way toward confirming the suspicion of observers that, aside from security missions, the US is using Blackwater for certain black ops in Iraq. [JF]

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CIA agents lied about killing missionaries, report reveals

November 21, 2008 by Leave a comment

In 1994, then US President Bill Clinton authorized a covert CIA operation to assist the Peruvian Air Force in preventing planes carrying narcotics from flying over that country’s territory. Among the results of this operation was the shooting down of a Cessna 185 floatplane on April 20, 2001, which the CIA suspected of transporting drugs from Colombia to Peru. The only problem was that there were no drugs on the plane. It was actually carrying an American Christian missionary family, including two children, who were on their way to Lima, Peru. The attack on the plane resulted in the death of the mother and one of the children. A still-classified report by the Office of the US Inspector General has now revealed what many CIA critics suspected, namely that the murder of the two Americans resulted from routine violation of intercept procedures by CIA operatives. What is more, not only did the CIA refuse to acknowledge its mistake, but CIA employees actually “misled and even lied to Congress about what happened and did not supply accurate information to the Department of Justice or the Bush administration”. Furthermore, the Agency “obstructed inquiries into its role in the shooting down” of the aircraft by “cover[ing] up evidence of its failings”. Reportedly, the CIA has yet to discipline anyone about these murders. Meanwhile, the mother and grandmother of the murdered victims, Gloria Luttig, has expressed her disgust about the fact that “some of the members of the CIA [involved in the incident] have been promoted” since the murders. [IA]

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US airstrikes now deep inside Pakistani territory

November 21, 2008 by Leave a comment

We have previously reported on the alleged US-Pakistani high-level agreement, according to which “the US government refuses to publicly acknowledge the [US missile] attacks [on Pakistani soil] while Pakistan’s government continues to complain noisily about the politically sensitive strikes”. The Associated Press now reports that “for the first time Wednesday, the missiles targeted militants beyond the tribal areas, deeper inside Pakistan”. What is more, Pakistani militants have caught on to the secret deal and are now threatening to retaliate by attacking Pakistani government targets. Taliban militant leader Hafiz Gul Bahadur has warned that he will abandon a 2006 peace treaty with the Pakistani military and that his men will “launch suicide attacks on foreigners and government targets unless the raids stop”. One of his representatives said on Thursday that “the Pakistani government is clearly involved in these attacks by American spy planes, so we will target government interests as well as foreigners”. The immediate US objective in launching airstrikes on Pakistani soil is to sabotage the intention of the Pakistani and Afghan governments to strike a deal with the Taliban. All three sides so far resist reverting to all-out war. But if the US strikes continue (which they probably will, even if Pakistan withdraws its current tacit consent), the US objectives are likely to be achieved. [JF]

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IAEA confirms US allegations of Syrian nuclear reactor

November 21, 2008 by Leave a comment

Fourteen months ago, Israel launched an air attack against Syria, destroying a facility that both the Israelis and the Americans claimed was a nuclear military installation. When Syria denied the claim, US intelligence officials released visual evidence —some from the interior of the installation— arguing that the bombed building was in fact a plutonium production reactor. After undertaking its own investigation, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has now confirmed the US and Israeli allegations that Syria was covertly constructing a nuclear reactor. Interestingly, the IAEA reportedly based its investigation on “other evidence, not on the photos released by Washington”. [JF]

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Morales accuses DEA of tapping his telephone conversations

November 21, 2008 by Leave a comment

Thursday’s Washington Post article on Evo Morales’ trip to Washington was typical of the mainstream media’s coverage of the Bolivian President’s first-ever visit to the US capital. Specifically, the paper mentioned the Bolivian leader’s stated opposition to the policies of the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) in his country. The article mentioned Morales’ allegation that the DEA had “been used for ‘political vengeance’ against him”, but gave no details. Yet Pamela Constable, the Post’s reporter writing the article, surely must know what Morales means by “political vengeance”. The Bolivian President mentioned during his address to the Organization of American States earlier this week that the DEA tried to “tap his telephone conversations instead of going after cocaine traffickers”. Earlier, Morales had stated in a radio interview that “lately, when I was already in the government, but when the communications were in hands of the telecom company from Italy, a team of the DEA were listening [to] phone calls to be able to spy on me. This is a political thing”. These serious allegations were picked up by Reuters, but not a word of it was printed by the Washington Post, which obviously considers them an irrelevant detail influencing the Bolivian President’s recent decision to expel the DEA from his country. For more on the role of the DEA in the US government’s covert operations against the Morales Administration see here. [IA]

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What will be Obama’s stance on warrantless wiretapping?

November 18, 2008 by Leave a comment

Back in the early stages of the presidential election campaign, US President-elect Barack Obama repeatedly came out against the increasing use of warrantless wiretapping by the National Security Agency (NSA). Eventually he switched sides and voted for the continuation of this program, which many in the legal profession condemn as essentially unconstitutional. Today The New York Times has published an article reminding the President-Elect’s transitional team that the Obama administration is likely to have to make some early decisions about the legal standing of the NSA’s domestic communications interception operations. This is because a number of groups have challenged the Justice Department’s sanctioning of warrantless wiretapping. Under directives from the Bush Administration the Department has so far blocked these challenges by claiming broad and undefined “national security and national secrets” clauses. Is the Obama Administration likely to continue this policy? His transition team has so far denied all requests to discuss domestic surveillance, or even how the President-elect plans to deal with this issue. It is indeed too early to tell. Yet considering some of the people Obama is thinking of appointing to high-level intelligence establishment positions, one may be excused for thinking the Bush Administration’s policy is likely to survive mostly intact the change of guard in the White House. [IA]

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Russian Sleeper Agent Caught Spying on NATO

November 17, 2008 by 2 Comments

For the past year many in the know have been suspecting that the sophisticated Russian diplomatic maneuvers on the US missile defense shield are built on inside information on the project. Now a number of reports have emerged in the British press, pointing to a busting of what is probably an extensive network of Russian-handled spies in Estonia. Herman Simm, a high-level official at the Estonian defense ministry, has been arrested along with his wife on charges that he spied on behalf of Russian intelligence for over 10 years. Estonian and Western counterintelligence are still after his handler, who is known as “the Spaniard” because of his cover as a Spanish entrepreneur. Simm, who is described as a “sleeper” agent, was probably at the center of what can be said to be “the most serious case of espionage against NATO since the end of the Cold War”. This is not only because he was “responsible for handling all his country’s classified and top secret material on NATO”, but also because he was in charge of Estonia’s relatively advanced national cyber defense systems, as well as “for many years in charge of issuing security clearance[s]”. Perhaps more importantly, he is said to have been privy to crucial NATO information pertaining to the US missile shield project. No wonder an anonymous German official has described this latest Russian penetration of NATO as a “catastrophe”. This is not the first spy story to emerge out of Estonia since the end of the Cold War. Insiders will remember a story from ten years ago of a high-ranking Estonian police officer who defected to Britain on the run from FSB agents who were blackmailing him for recruitment purposes. [IA]

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