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EU foreign minister’s husband shunned KGB approaches in 1980s

December 8, 2009 by intelNews Leave a comment

Peter Kellner

By JOSEPH FITSANAKIS | intelNews.org |
The husband of the recently appointed European Union minister for foreign affairs has acknowledged that the KGB tried to cultivate a relationship with him in the 1980s. Peter Kellner, who now presides over influential British polling company YouGov, is married to Baroness Ashton of Upholland (born Catherine Margaret Ashton), who assumed the prominent EU post on November 19. Intelligence documents show that British domestic intelligence agency MI5 had tagged Kellner and his wife as “communist sympathizers”, because of their anti-apartheid activism and long-term involvement with the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, considered a “subversive” movement within the intelligence services. Read more of this post

Filed under Expert news and commentary on intelligence, espionage, spies and spying Tagged with 1984 Labour Party National Conference (UK), Alexander Lebedev, Baroness Ashton of Upholland, Blackpool (UK), Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, Catherine Margaret Ashton, Cold War, defectors, diplomatic expulsions, domestic intelligence, double agents, EU, history, KGB, Labour Party (UK), MI5, MI6, National Reserve Bank (Russia), News, Oleg Gordievsky, Peter Kellner, political activism, Russia, The New Statesman and Society, UK, USSR, YouGov, Yuri Kudinov

News you may have missed #0209

December 7, 2009 by intelNews Leave a comment

Court documents strengthen case of alleged FBI informant. Unsealed court records that Craig Monteilh said would prove he was an informant for the FBI, tasked with spying on California mosques, show that he provided “very, very valuable” information to the FBI.
Britain’s ITV to air documentary on MI5. Until a few years ago, the UK government wouldn’t acknowledge MI5’s existence. Now the quasi-governmental ITV television station is preparing to broadcast a documentary on the agency’s 100-year history.

Filed under Expert news and commentary on intelligence, espionage, spies and spying Tagged with American Muslims, Craig Monteilh, domestic intelligence, FBI, government secrecy, informants, lawsuits, MI5, News, news you may have missed, UK

Comment: Did Russian Intelligence Hack Climate-Change Emails?

December 7, 2009 by intelNews 16 Comments

Tomsk, Siberia

By JOSEPH FITSANAKIS* | intelNews.org |
For over a fortnight, the world’s news services have focused on the so-called ‘Climategate’, the hundreds of University of East Anglia’s Climatic Research Unit emails that were hacked from the university’s server and leaked onto the Internet. The stolen emails, some of which date back to 1996, have reignited conspiracy theories about the role of human activity in climate change. But there is surprisingly little discussion about who hacked into the university’s server and stole the personal emails.

News you may have missed #0206

December 5, 2009 by intelNews Leave a comment

UK sets up counter-hacking unit. Britain’s Office of Cyber Security has formed Computer Emergency Response Teams to deal with “more than 300 cyber attacks a year”. It will operate out of the Government Communications Headquarters in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire. Australia may be moving in the same direction.
Czech artist denies having spied on US diplomats. Joska Skalnik a famous Czech artist and anti-communist dissident, has denied allegations he spied on US diplomats in Prague on behalf of StB, the country’s communist secret service during the Cold War.
Ex-Shin Bet chief hints Israel won’t strike Iran without US consent. Avi Dichter, former head of Israel’s domestic spy service, the Shin Bet, told an Australian audience that it is “up to the US to take the lead in international efforts to confront Iran on the nuclear issue. This should be a role for superpowers and Israel is not a superpower”, he said.

Filed under Expert news and commentary on intelligence, espionage, spies and spying Tagged with Australia, Avi Dichter, Cold War, cyberespionage, cybersecurity, Czech Republic, Czechoslovakia, GCHQ, Iran, Israel, Joska Skalnik, News, news you may have missed, Office of Cyber Security (UK), Office of Cyber Security Computer Emergency Response Teams (UK), Shin Bet, StB (Czechoslovakia), UK, United States, US embassy in Czechoslovakia

London ex-official admits falling for Chinese honey trap

December 1, 2009 by intelNews 2 Comments

Ian Clement

By JOSEPH FITSANAKIS | intelNews.org |
London’s former deputy mayor, Ian Clement, has admitted he was lured by a female Chinese secret agent, who drugged him and ransacked his Beijing hotel room after having sex with him. Clement said he fell for “the oldest trick in the book”, euphemistically known as ‘honey trap’ in intelligence circles, while accompanying UK Olympics Minister Tessa Jowell to Beijing to “build contacts with potential investors” for the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. He said he became acquainted with an attractive Chinese woman at the exclusive official party on the opening night of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, and had a few drinks with her. He then invited her to his hotel room, where he eventually became unconscious. Upon waking up, several hours later, he found that “the woman had rifled through confidential documents and downloaded details about how the capital is run from his BlackBerry Smartphone”. Read more of this post

Filed under Expert news and commentary on intelligence, espionage, spies and spying Tagged with 2008 Summer Olympic Games, 2012 Summer Olympic Games, Beijing (China), China, Chinese Ministry of State Security, espionage, FSB, honey traps, Ian Clement, James Hudson, London, MI6, News, Olympic Games, Russia, UK

News you may have missed #0200

November 30, 2009 by intelNews Leave a comment

New N. Ireland justice minister wants MI5 to share data. David Ford, who appears to be the preferred choice for Northern Ireland’s justice minister, says he will “insist that MI5 share all intelligence on republican dissidents with the Police Service of Northern Ireland”.
Prisoners remain in CIA black site. A US military detention camp in Afghanistan is still holding inmates, sometimes for weeks at a time and without access to the Red Cross, according to human rights researchers and former detainees held at Bagram Air Base.

Filed under Expert news and commentary on intelligence, espionage, spies and spying Tagged with Afghanistan, Bagram Air Base, CIA, David Ford, domestic intelligence, intelligence sharing, International Red Cross, MI5, News, news you may have missed, Northern Ireland, Police Service of Northern Ireland, secret prisons, UK, United States

News you may have missed #0199

November 30, 2009 by intelNews Leave a comment

Author insists Sir Hollis was Soviet agent. Last month, Professor Christopher Andrew, author of the recently published In Defense of the Realm, an authorized history of MI5, dismissed allegations that Sir Roger Hollis, former head of MI5, had been a KGB agent. But intelligence author Chapman Pincher insists that “Hollis ha[d] been so deeply suspected of being a Soviet spy […] that he had been recalled from retirement for interrogation” in London.
ACLU supports lawsuit against FBI by alleged informant. The American Civil Liberties Union has joined Craig Monteilh, who says he was an undercover FBI informant, in a lawsuit demanding sealed court records identifying him as a spy be made public.

Filed under Expert news and commentary on intelligence, espionage, spies and spying Tagged with ACLU, book news and reviews, Chapman Pincher, Christopher Andrew, Cold War, Craig Monteilh, espionage, FBI, history, informants, KGB, lawsuits, MI5, News, news you may have missed, Sir Roger Hollis, UK, United States, USSR

News you may have missed #0195

November 24, 2009 by intelNews 2 Comments

CIA releases massive collection of Soviet military documents. The CIA has released a massive selection of sensitive Soviet journal articles, translated into English, which it acquired by various means from 1961 to 1984. Most are from the restricted Soviet journal Military Thought.
Did the CIA attempt to prevent Gagarin’s lunar flight from happening? Interesting question explored by Peter Pesavento in the latest issue of Space Chronicle, a journal of the London-based British Interplanetary Society.
GCHQ head’s holiday details leaked online. The head of the British government’s ultra-secret listening agency GCHQ is reviewing his security after personal details were put on the internet by a spookbuster. Thankfully, no Speedo photos this time.

Filed under Expert news and commentary on intelligence, espionage, spies and spying Tagged with Cold War, declassification, GCHQ, history, Iain Robert Lobban, Internet, military intelligence, News, news you may have missed, Soviet space program, UK, United States, USSR, Vostok 1, Vostok 3KA-3, Yuri Gagarin

News you may have missed #0194

November 24, 2009 by intelNews Leave a comment

Ex-Monaco spymaster renews lawsuit on principality. Robert Eringer, who until recently was spymaster to prince Albert II of Monaco, and is now suing him for €360,000 ($542,000) in alleged unpaid income, has filed a new lawsuit against the principality itself, to prevent Albert II from invoking head-of-state immunity.
WWII spy photos declassified after 60 years. A collection of astonishing World War II air surveillance photos from Britain’s Aerial Reconnaissance Archives can now be seen by the public for the first time.
US couple accused of spying for Cuba pleads guilty. As expected, Walter and Gwendolyn Myers, who were arrested by the FBI last summer on charges of spying for Cuba for over 30 years, have pleaded guilty and agreed to cooperate with investigators.

Filed under Expert news and commentary on intelligence, espionage, spies and spying Tagged with aerial reconnaissance, Aerial Reconnaissance Archives (UK), airborne surveillance, Cuba, declassification, espionage, Germany, Gwendolyn Steingraber Myers, history, lawsuits, Monaco, Monaco Intelligence Service, News, news you may have missed, photographic intelligence, Prince Albert II of Monaco, Robert Eringer, UK, United States, Walter Kendall Myers, World War II

News you may have missed #0193

November 23, 2009 by intelNews Leave a comment

Colombian rebels say US spying on Venezuela from bases. Colombia’s National Liberation Army, the smaller of the country’s two main guerrilla groups, has echoed Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez’s recent claims that the new US bases in Colombia will be used for “electronic spying” against Caracas.
Hawaii resident accused of spying for China to stand trial. Noshir Gowadia is not insane and is legally able to stand trial, a US federal prosecutor asserted on Friday.
British communications spy agency to recruit via Xbox Live. The General Communications Headquarters (GCHQ), Britain’s version of the US National Security Agency, says it is trying to attract 18- to 34-year-olds to its ranks. It’s not the first time it has resorted to gaming.

Filed under Expert news and commentary on intelligence, espionage, spies and spying Tagged with China, Colombia, ELN (Colombia), gaming, GCHQ, Hawaii, Hugo Chávez, intelligence recruitment, military bases, National Liberation Army of Colombia, News, news you may have missed, Noshir Gowadia, UK, United States, Venezuela, Xbox, Xbox Live

French spies saw Hitler danger in 1924, document shows

November 23, 2009 by intelNews 1 Comment

Hitler in 1924

By JOSEPH FITSANAKIS | intelNews.org |
At the same time when British intelligence was employing Benito Mussolini, and US diplomats were describing segments of the German Nazi party as “moderate [with] appeal to all civilized and reasonable people”, French intelligence reports were identifying Adolf Hitler as a “fascist […] demagogue” and “the German Mussolini”. This emerges from a 1924 report by an anonymous French intelligence operative, which is due to be declassified along with thousands of similar documents currently stored in the French National Archives, according to French newspaper Le Monde. Read more of this post

Filed under Expert news and commentary on intelligence, espionage, spies and spying Tagged with Adolf Hitler, Benito Mussolini, France, French National Archives, Germany, history, Italy, News, Paris (France), UK, United States, World War I, World War II

News you may have missed #0189

November 18, 2009 by intelNews Leave a comment

Somali youths from Canada may have joined Al-Shabab militant group. It’s not only Somali-Americans who are going back to Somalia to join Al-Shabab. Canadian officials are worried the same thing may be happening in Toronto.
New website examines intelligence contractors. The website Spies for Hire is a new project by Tim Shorrock, which aims to track the America’s most important intelligence contractors. The website expands on Shorrock’s 2008 book, Spies for Hire: The Secret World of Intelligence Outsourcing.
MI6 chiefs to testify about Iraq War fiasco. Past and present chiefs of MI6, including Sir John Scarlett and Sir John Sawers, will be among the first witnesses to give evidence to the official inquiry into Britain’s entry into the Iraq War, it was disclosed on Monday.

Filed under Expert news and commentary on intelligence, espionage, spies and spying Tagged with al-Shabaab, Canada, intelligence outsourcing, Iraq War, MI6, News, news you may have missed, Sir John Sawers, Sir John Scarlett, The Party of Youth (Somalia), Tim Shorrock, Toronto (Canada), UK, United States

Abducted Iranian defense official reportedly held in Israel

November 17, 2009 by intelNews 3 Comments

Ali-Reza Asgari

By JOSEPH FITSANAKIS | intelNews.org |
Iran’s former deputy defense minister, who went missing during a 2006 official visit to Turkey, was kidnapped in a joint Israeli-German-British operation, according to an Iranian newsmagazine. Brigadier general Ali-Reza Asgari, who once commanded Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, disappeared on December 9, 2006, from his hotel room in Istanbul, Turkey. Little more than a year later, Hans Rühle, former Director of Policy Planning in the German Ministry of Defense, wrote in Swiss newspaper Neue Zuercher Zeitung that Asgari was in Western hands and that “information was obtained” from him. Since then, other sources have alleged that Asgari defected willingly, including Dafna Linzer of the Washington Post and intelligence historian Gordon Thomas, in his 2009 book Secret Wars: One Hundred Years of British Intelligence (see intelNews book review). Read more of this post

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News you may have missed #0184

November 15, 2009 by intelNews Leave a comment

Rumors of joint US-Israel-Egypt-Jordan spy meeting. Israeli site DEBKAfile is one of several Middle Eastern news outlets alleging that a secret meeting was held earlier this month between senior intelligence officials of the US, Israel, Egypt and Jordan.
Germany won’t prosecute suspect in Litvinenko murder. Germany has dropped attempts to prosecute Dmitri Kovtun, a former Soviet military intelligence officer implicated in the 2006 killing in London of Russian former KGB agent Alexander Litvinenko. Meanwhile the primary suspect in the case, former KGB bodyguard Andrey Lugovoy, who lives in Russia, said he may be ready to face questioning in the UK “under certain conditions”.
FBI charged terrorism suspect after trying to recruit him. Tarek Mehanna, a Massachusetts man accused of plotting to kill Americans, was charged by the FBI only after he refused to work as an informant against Muslims, according to his lawyer. This is not the first time such allegations have surfaced.

Filed under Expert news and commentary on intelligence, espionage, spies and spying Tagged with Alexander Litvinenko, American Muslims, Andrey Lugovoy, assassinations, Dmitri Kovtun, Egypt, FBI, Germany, GRU, informants, Israel, Jordan, KGB, lawsuits, News, news you may have missed, Russia, secret meetings, Tarek Mehanna, UK, United States

Suspected IRA militant charged in undercover agent’s killing

November 14, 2009 by intelNews Leave a comment

Robert Nairac

By JOSEPH FITSANAKIS | intelNews.org |
A man suspected by British authorities to be a former member of the Irish Republican Army has been charged with participating in the killing of a British army undercover agent, who tried to infiltrate the IRA in the 1970s. Robert Nairac, a captain of the British Army’s Intelligence Corps, was among numerous British government agents who attempted to infiltrate the IRA from the 1960s onwards. Although educated at Oxford, Nairac studied Irish republican culture and put on a convincing Northern Irish accent in order to carry out the infiltration. His activities centered on patronizing various pubs in Catholic stronghold areas of Belfast, using the cover name “Danny McErlaine”, and pretending to be a member of the Official IRA (an IRA splinter faction) from north Belfast. But on May 14, 1977, a group of IRA members abducted Nairac from a pub in South Armagh and drove him to a remote location, where they interrogated him prior to executing him. Read more of this post