NZ spy agency broke into foreign embassies on behalf of CIA and MI6, report claims
July 1, 2020 4 Comments
The spy agency of New Zealand broke into at least three foreign embassies in Wellington at the request of the United States and Britain, according to an investigative report by the country’s public radio broadcaster. Radio New Zealand reported on Tuesday that the highly controversial break-ins targeted the Indian High Commission and the Iranian Embassy in the late 1980s and early 1990s. A few years earlier, the New Zealand spy agency had allegedly broken into the Czechoslovakian embassy in Wellington.
Radio New Zealand podcast it confirmed the break-ins after “piecing together information gained after months of engaging with multiple sources in New Zealand, Britain and the United States”. According to the broadcaster, the operations were carried out by the New Zealand Security Intelligence Service (NZSIS) on behalf of its American and British counterparts, the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), and the Secret Intelligence Service (MI6).
The New Zealand agency was also allegedly pressured to carry out the operations by Australia, with which it collaborates as part of the so-called Five-Eyes alliance. For over 75 years, New Zealand has been a member of the partnership, which is also known as the UK-USA Security Agreement. It provides a multilateral framework for intelligence cooperation between the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.
According to Radio New Zealand, the break-in at the Indian High Commission in Wellington took place in the 1980s. It was codenamed Operation DUNNAGE and was jointly supported by MI6. After entering the building —which technically constitutes Indian soil— NZSIS spies allegedly took “thousands of photographs” of the contents of codebooks used by Indian diplomats to communicate in secret with their government in New Delhi. These were shared with MI6 and were used by the British to decipher the codes used in diplomatic communications between Indian officials. Read more of this post
Finland to probe mysterious intrusions of elected officials’ homes
October 12, 2026 by intelNews Leave a comment
Officials with the Helsinki Police Department, which is leading the preliminary investigation, said the first break-in was reported about a year ago. As in subsequent incidents, there were no obvious signs of forced entry, and nothing appeared to have been stolen. However, several doors were left open and lights switched on, which residents said they did not remember leaving that way.
According to Yle, Finland’s state broadcaster, the Parliament’s First Deputy Speaker Paula Riskikko learned about the first suspected intrusion on the evening of 23 September. Upon learning of subsequent break-ins, Riskikko informed the Parliament’s Director of Security, Aaro Toivonen, who then convened a meeting with leaders of Parliamentary groups to discuss security concerns. The meeting aimed to establish how pervasive the intrusions were across MPs’ residences, as more cases emerged.
At a press conference held at the Finnish Parliament, Speaker Jussi Halla-aho suggested the intrusions could be part of a deliberate tactic to signal that intruders can access MPs’ homes at will, and said the behavior was “associated with state actors”. He added that officials do not yet know the exact number of MPs affected, but described the incidents as “significant”, emphasizing that there was no information concerning the motive or those responsible. Finnish President Alexander Stub, also spoke about the reported incidents, saying that “an attack on a member of parliament is an attack on democracy”.
Some have suggested that the incidents may be connected with the upcoming Finnish parliamentary elections, which are scheduled to be held in six months. Asked by a reporter if foreign involvement was likely, Prime Minister Petteri Orpo said it was “very possible, quite possible in this day and age.” He added that the break-ins raise the risk of election interference, and noted they must be monitored meticulously. Orpo also pointed to the possibility of foreign involvement, stating: “We see in several European countries that Russia has sought to influence elections”.
Finland shares a 1,320-kilometer (830-mile) border with Russia and ended decades of military non-alignment by joining the North Atlantic Treaty Organization in April 2023. Helsinki has previously accused Moscow of conducting hybrid warfare, including orchestrating a surge of migrants at the Finnish-Russian border in late 2023. There is currently no evidence that the break-ins are intended to influence the upcoming election or intimidate MPs, or that they form part of a foreign-directed malign influence campaign.
► Author: Molly Jones | Date: 12 October 2026 | Permalink
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