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News you may have missed #0115

September 25, 2009 by intelNews Leave a comment

China says US intelligence report shows Cold War prejudice. The 2009 US National Intelligence Strategy (.pdf) report singles out Iran, North Korea, China and Russia as nations with the ability to challenge US interests. But government-owned China Daily newspaper says the report is “stuffed with outdated pride and prejudice” and “reflects typical Cold War and power politics mentality”.
Somali suicide bomber lived in the US. After Shirwa Ahmed, a US citizen of Somali descent who last October became history’s first known US-born suicide bomber, another Somali-American, who lived in Seattle, has been identified as one of the participants of a suicide bombing that killed 21 peacekeepers in Mogadishu last week. US officials have been warning for almost a year about the strange phenomenon of the “disappearing Somali youths” from their US homes.
UK spies used Monopoly sets to help WWII prisoners escape. British secret services embedded escape tools and maps in Monopoly game sets distributed by humanitarian groups in care packages to imprisoned British soldiers during World War II. The article contains some interesting photographs.

Filed under Expert news and commentary on intelligence, espionage, spies and spying Tagged with 2009 National Intelligence Strategy, Africa, China, Germany, Iran, Mogadishu (Somalia), Monopoly (game), National Intelligence Strategy, News, news you may have missed, North Korea, prisoners of war, Russia, Seattle, Shirwa Ahmed, Somalia, suicide bombings, UK, United States, World War II

Busted spy ring in Lebanon was Israel’s top network in the Arab world

September 23, 2009 by intelNews 4 Comments

Hezbollah parade

By IAN ALLEN | intelNews.org |
French newspaper Le Figaro has published a well-researched account of an ongoing counterintelligence operation in Lebanon, which has resulted in the dismantling of an enormous network of Israeli spy cells in the country. The paper describes the discovery of the Israeli spy network as “one of the most resounding defeats in [Israel’s] history”. IntelNews has been following the counterintelligence operation from its very beginning last February. Since then, over 70 Lebanese nationals have been charged with conducting espionage operations on behalf of Israel, of whom nearly 40 have been apprehended. According to Lebanese officials, the dismantled spy ring was probably Israel’s most important intelligence network in the Arab world. Read more of this post

Filed under Expert news and commentary on intelligence, espionage, spies and spying Tagged with Al-Alam spy ring, counterintelligence, espionage, FSB, Hezbollah, Israel, Lebanon, Mossad, News, Russia

News you may have missed #0110

September 19, 2009 by intelNews Leave a comment

So, was it pirates or Israeli spies that intercepted a ship carrying Russian missiles? Several observers are beginning to think that Israeli intelligence intercepted or was otherwise involved in the interception of the Arctic Sea, a Russian ship that reportedly carried Russian missiles destined for either Iran or Hezbollah.
Trial of accused Palestinian spy begins in Israel. Rawi Sultani is accused of having informed Hezbollah of his membership in the same fitness club as the head of Israel’s military forces, Lieutenant-General Gabi Ashkenazi, in the town of Kfar Saba, as well methods of access into the club. Sultani says that the whole case is nonsense and that he doesn’t even know what Ashkenazi looks like.
Czech spies see Russians behind antiwar group’s actions. The Czech Security Information Service (BIS) is monitoring a billboard agency, which has given free advertising space to an antiwar group opposing the country’s participation in US missile defense shield plans. The US announced on Thursday that it plans to abandon the plans. Newspaper Aktuálně reported that BIS suspects Russian involvement. People in the Czech Republic are incapable of opposing US missile shield plans without Russian prompting, it appears.

Filed under Expert news and commentary on intelligence, espionage, spies and spying Tagged with Czech Republic, Czech Security Information Service (BIS), Gabi Ashkenazi, Hezbollah, Iran, Israel, Kfar Saba (Israel), Lebanon, maritime intelligence, Palestine, Rawi Sultani, Russia, US Missile Defense Shield, weapons smuggling, weapons trade

News you may have missed #0109

September 18, 2009 by intelNews Leave a comment

Somali pirates have spies in London shipbroking. A report compiled by European military intelligence agencies says that Somali pirates operating in the Gulf of Aden and more recently the Indian Ocean have well-placed informers in London, a world center for shipbroking and maritime insurance. They also regularly use satellite phones and GPS tracking systems to zero in on their targets.
Canada denies entry visa to Russian official due to KGB ties. Mikhail Margelov, who heads the foreign affairs committee of the Russian parliament, was invited to participate in the Inter-Parliamentary Forum of the Americas (FIPA) in Ottawa. But upon applying for an entry visa he was warned it could be denied because of his KGB ties. Observers say this episode may be indicative of a shift in Russo-Canadian relations.

Filed under Expert news and commentary on intelligence, espionage, spies and spying Tagged with Canada, computer hacking, FBI, Gulf of Aden, Indian Ocean, Inter-Parliamentary Forum of the Americas, KGB, London, maritime intelligence, maritime piracy, maritime surveillance, Mikhail Margelov, News, news you may have missed, Russia, satellite reconnaissance, Somalia, US Army, US DoD, US National Geospatial Intelligence Agency

Does Norway engage in international espionage?

September 10, 2009 by intelNews Leave a comment

NIS HQ

By IAN ALLEN | intelNews.org |
The death sentences handed down earlier this week by a Congolese military court to two alleged Norwegian spies, prompted Brian Palmer, of Slate magazine, to ask: do small countries like Norway engage in international espionage? The answer, of course, is yes. Palmer explains that intelligence agencies of smaller countries tend to be extremely focused on bordering nations. As a result, when it comes to their immediate geographical neighborhood, their intelligence knowledge and capabilities often surpass those of larger intelligence powers. Norway is a good example of this. Read more of this post

Filed under Expert news and commentary on intelligence, espionage, spies and spying Tagged with Africa, Analysis, ANC, apartheid, Cold War, Democratic Republic of the Congo, intelligence cooperation, Kola Peninsula (Russia), military intelligence, Murmansk (Russia), Murmansk Oblast (Russia), NIS (Norway), Norway, Norwegian Intelligence Service, Russia, Russian Northern Fleet, South Africa, USSR

News you may have missed #0095

September 5, 2009 by intelNews Leave a comment

New revelations about Bulgarian domestic spying case. It appears that Operation GALLERY (a.k.a. Operation GALERIA), by the Bulgarian State Agency for National Security (DANS), was primarily aimed at the Bulgarian tabloid newspaper Weekend and journalist Dimitar Zlatkov. Journalist Ognyan Stefanov, who was nearly beaten to death after authoring an article implicating DANS officials in illicit trafficking activities (see previous intelNews coverage), appears to have been simply collateral damage.
Taliban use CIA-supplied mines against US-led forces in Afghanistan. Evidence from the US Defense Department, Canadian forces in Afghanistan and the Taliban itself suggest that the increased damage to NATO tanks by Taliban forces has come from anti-tank mines provided by the US to the jihadi movement in Afghanistan in the 1980s.
Massive domestic spying revealed in Russia. From January to June this year, Russian intelligence agents surreptitiously opened 115,000 letters, listened in on 64,000 personal phone conversations, and broke into 11,000 private homes according to information from Russia’s Supreme Court.

Filed under Expert news and commentary on intelligence, espionage, spies and spying Tagged with Afghanistan, black bag operations, blowback, Bulgaria, CIA, Cold War, communications interception, DANS (Bulgaria), Dimitar Zlatkov, domestic intelligence, mail interception, NATO, News, news you may have missed, non-destructive entry, Ognyan Stefanov, Operation GALERIA, Operation GALLERY, Russia, Russian Supreme Court, surreptitious entry, Taliban

News you may have missed #0090

September 1, 2009 by intelNews Leave a comment

CIA’s black sites, illuminated. The Los Angeles Times‘ Greg Miller provides a summary account of the descriptions of CIA secret prisons provided in the recently declassified CIA documents.
Russian agents try to influence Czech politicians, says intelligence report. BIS, the Czech counterintelligence service, has declassified a 2008 report stating that Russian intelligence agents in the country, such as the ones expelled earlier this month, “try to establish contacts with members of [the Czech] parliament, their assistants and employees of political parties’ foreign relations departments”.
South Korean arrested for collaborating with North Korean spy. The man, identified only as Kim, supplied travel documents, maps, and other information to a North Korean operative in Indonesia. South Korean intelligence sources may have leaked this case in order to sabotage the current thaw in North-South relations.

Filed under Expert news and commentary on intelligence, espionage, spies and spying Tagged with CIA, Czech Republic, Czech Security Information Service (BIS), declassification, espionage, Indonesia, News, news you may have missed, North Korea, Russia, secret prisons, South Korea, Southeast Asia

News you may have missed #0089

September 1, 2009 by intelNews Leave a comment

German intelligence negotiating on Israel’s behalf. Israel has asked Gemany’s foreign intelligence service, the BND, to mediate in negotiations for the release Gilad Shalit, an Israeli soldier held hostage in Gaza since June 2006. Intelligence sources say a prisoner exchange deal may be imminent.
France to send more spies to Somalia. Days after the dramatic escape of a French spy from his militant captors in Somalia, the French government has announced its intention to station more operatives in the country.
Senior Russian military officer jailed for spying for Georgia. Authorities said Lieutenant Colonel Mikhail Khachidze, who is an ethnic Georgian, passed Russian military secrets over the Internet to Georgian secret services in June and July 2008. Khachidze was allegedly recruited by Georgian intelligence in late 2007, while stationed on Georgian territory.

Filed under Expert news and commentary on intelligence, espionage, spies and spying Tagged with Africa, BND, France, Gaza Strip, Georgia, Germany, Gilad Shalit, informants, Israel, Mikhail Khachidze, News, news you may have missed, Russia, Russian military, secret meetings, Somalia

Analysis: Assessing the record of Russian espionage

August 29, 2009 by intelNews Leave a comment

R. Kupchinsky

By JOSEPH FITSANAKIS | intelNews.org |
Roman Kupchinsky has penned an article for The Prague Post, in which he examines the recent expulsion of two Russian spies from the Czech Republic as part of a broader decline in Russian intelligence operations. The Jamestown Foundation analyst explains that Vladimir Putin’s campaign to rebuild the Russian espionage activities abroad to their former glory has not borne fruits. Rather, the gradual decay in Russia’s global intelligence presence, which began in the early 1980s, continues to mire the country’s Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR). The SVR is the successor to the KGB’s First Chief Directorate (PGU), which was responsible for foreign operations and intelligence collection. Although Kupchinsky’s view is shared by a many Western intelligence observers, some remain skeptical. Read more of this post

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News you may have missed #0085

August 28, 2009 by intelNews Leave a comment

How the ACLU got the CIA agents’ photos. As intelNews reported earlier this week, the ACLU has been trying to identify CIA agents who participated in torture of detainees, by taking surreptitious pictures outside the operatives’ homes. It is worth noting that uncovering the identities of CIA officers is legal, so long as it is based on publicly available records.
Russian espionage case is bigger than initially thought, say Czech officials. Intelligence authorities in the Czech Republic say the two Russian agents who were recently expelled from the country last week were not primarily interested in the US missile defense shield.
US spy community builds Wikipedia-style database. Intellipedia, the intelligence community’s version of Wikipedia has grown markedly since its formal launch in 2006. It now averages more than 15,000 edits per day and is home to 900,000 pages and 100,000 user accounts.

Filed under Expert news and commentary on intelligence, espionage, spies and spying Tagged with ACLU, CIA, Czech Republic, databases, espionage, Intellipedia, lawsuits, News, news you may have missed, Russia, torture, United States, US Missile Defense Shield, Wikipedia

News you may have missed #0084

August 28, 2009 by intelNews Leave a comment

Cargo ship with Israeli weapons destined for Philippines seized. The arms were apparently destined for “rebel groups or criminal organizations”. No word yet from the Israeli government.
Even more CIA documents to be disclosed. Word comes that, in response to pending requests from the ACLU, more CIA documents about Bush-era interrogations and detentions could be released as early as Monday.
Double spy’s son admits guilt. Nathaniel James Nicholson, youngest son of Harold James Nicholson, who in 1997 became the highest-ranking CIA officer to be convicted of spying on behalf of a foreign agency, pleaded guilty Thursday to collecting cash from Russian officials who owed his father for selling CIA secrets in the 1990s.

Filed under Expert news and commentary on intelligence, espionage, spies and spying Tagged with ACLU, Bush Administration, CIA, declassification, double agents, Harold James Nicholson, interrogation techniques, Israel, lawsuits, maritime surveillance, Nathaniel James Nicholson, News, news you may have missed, Philippines, Russia, United States, weapons smuggling

News you may have missed #0081

August 27, 2009 by intelNews Leave a comment

Russians arrest “spies” at air show. The FSB says it uncovered two Dutch spies at the MAKS 2009 aviation and space show in Moscow.
Interview with Israeli intelligence minister. Dan Meridor gave a rare interview to German magazine Der Spiegel, saying he doesn’t “want to get into details” about rumors that Israel is considering bombing Iran.
Karadzic asks for French intelligence documents. Karadzic claims France has documents confirming that the USA and several Muslim countries supplied weapons to the army of Bosnia-Herzegovina in the 1990s, despite an international embargo.

Filed under Expert news and commentary on intelligence, espionage, spies and spying Tagged with Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bosnian War, counterintelligence, Dan Meridor, France, FSB, Iran, Iranian nuclear program, Israel, MAKS International Aviation and Space Salon, Moscow (Russia), Netherlands, News, news you may have missed, Radovan Karadzic, Russia, United States, weapons trade

News you may have missed #0079

August 26, 2009 by intelNews Leave a comment

Berlin football club cancels deal over Stasi controversy. FC Union Berlin has dumped its main sponsor, International Sport Promotion, over allegations that its CEO, Juergen Czilinsky, was a member of the Stasi, the East German secret police.
US officials targeted by fake emails. Malicious emails claiming to be from the US Department of Homeland Security, but which actually originate from Latvia and Russia, are being sent to Pentagon and state and local officials in the US. Similar news emerged from Australia last week.
Emirates expel Thai ex-premier. Ousted former Thai premier Thaksin Shinawatra was expelled by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Tuesday, and has gone to Montenegro. Interestingly, Montenegrin authorities have supplied Thaksin with a Montenegrin passport.

Filed under Expert news and commentary on intelligence, espionage, spies and spying Tagged with Berlin (Germany), Cold War, computer hacking, diplomatic expulsions, Eastern Europe, FC Union Berlin, German Democratic Republic, Germany, Hauptverwaltung Aufklärung, International Sport Promotion, Juergen Czilinsky, Latvia, Montenegro, News, news you may have missed, Russia, sports, Stasi (GDR), Thailand, Thaksin Shinawatra, United Arab Emirates, US Department of Homeland Security, US DoD

News you may have missed #0075

August 21, 2009 by intelNews Leave a comment

Release of Libyan convicted bomber raises questions. To some, Libyan Abdel Baset al-Megrahi, who was released by British authorities a few days ago on compassionate grounds, isn’t the Lockerbie bomber, but a scapegoat being used to hide the truth.
Analysis: Killing The KGB myth. Western pundits and journalists like to throw around the idea that Russia is currently being run by veterans of the Soviet era KGB. But a check of the public record quickly reveals that this is not so.
Second ranking US intelligence official to visit Philippines. After a recent visit to the Philippines by CIA director Leon Panetta, the US has dispatched to the country a second ranking intelligence official “to discuss with key officials anti-terrorism and development efforts”.

Filed under Expert news and commentary on intelligence, espionage, spies and spying Tagged with Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed al-Megrahi, Analysis, CIA, KGB, Leon Panetta, Libya, Lockerbie air disaster, News, news you may have missed, Pan Am Flight 103, Philippines, Russia, Southeast Asia, UK, United States

News you may have missed #0072

August 19, 2009 by intelNews Leave a comment

Analysis: Government secrecy alive and well under Obama. The Obama administration has not reduced the volume of security and safety-related US government information that is withheld from the public.
Emirates to go after former French spy. Malika Karoum, the former Dutch intelligence agent, is not the only ex-spy to have fallen out with Dubai’s oil-rich elite. The city’s police force says it will issue an arrest warrant for Herve Jaubert, a former French spy convicted in absentia of embezzling $3.8million, after he fled the country in a rubber dingy. He now lives in the US.
Was US man caught in FSB honey trap operation a CIA agent? It doesn’t appear so, say some Cryptome correspondents.