Counterintelligence News for the week of:

October 22-28, 2006

Professor accused of spying for Cuba won't be released before trial
A Florida International University professor charged with being an unregistered agent of Cuba's communist government won't be released before trial, a Miami federal judge ruled Friday. Carlos Alvarez, 61, who is accused of informing on the exile community for Cuban leader Fidel Castro's intelligence arm, could flee to Cuba if he's freed before the January trial, U.S. District Judge K. Michael Moore said. He denied Alvarez's bid for bond….(Miami Herald, 28 Oct 06)

KGB Used Istanbul as Base During WWII
It has recently been reported that the KGB, the most renowned intelligence agency in the former Soviet Union, had carried out its espionage operations and other relevant activities through a passenger vessel in Istanbul during World War II…..(Zaman, 28 Oct 06)

HONG KONG: Ching Cheong appeal on spy verdict is dealt a blow

Efforts to overturn Hong Kong journalist Ching Cheong's conviction for spying for Taiwan appear doomed to failure, with a Beijing court deciding not to hold a hearing on his appeal against the verdict….(South China Media Post, 28 Oct 06)

Businessman 'Ran N.Korean Spies for 13 Years'

The Korean-American businessman Chang Min-ho, who is accused of spying for North Korea, was a resident spymaster for the communist country for 13 years, investigators say. They say Chang was recruited by the North Korea’s Liaison Department, which is in charge of espionage in the South under the Workers Party, in September 1993….(Chosun, 28 Oct 06)

Man: Didn't Know About Secret Nuke Data

A self-described methamphetamine addict said he doesn't know anything about the classified Los Alamos National Laboratory data that authorities found in the mobile home where he was staying. "I was basically at the wrong place at the wrong time," Justin Stone….(AP, 27 Oct 06)

Report: FBI In expanded AIPAC probe

…the allegations — along with the upcoming trial of Rosen and Weissman, and the recent book deal signed by two of the pro-Israel lobby’s most prominent and vocal critics, scholars Stephen Walt and John Mearsheimer — are likely to trigger increased media and public scrutiny of the pro-Israel lobby’s efforts to influence the decision-making process in Washington…..(Forward/Jewish Daily, 27 Oct 06)

New Charges in military secrets case

…The indictment, handed down by a federal grand jury, added counts of conspiracy to export US defense articles to China, possession of property in aid of a foreign government and making false statements to federal investigators to existing charges….(Gulf-Times, 27 Oct 06)

U.K. Navy Papers Give Few New Clues to Cold War Diver's Death

Britain's Royal Navy released new documents today on one of the great Cold War mysteries -- the 1956 disappearance of frogman Lionel "Buster" Crabb near a vessel carrying the top Soviet leaders….(Bloomberg, 27 Oct 06)

Details on vanished 'spy' diver

New evidence has emerged of Britain's attempts to cover up the fate of a diver who vanished in 1956, while apparently spying on a Soviet warship….(BBC, 27 Oct 06)

Swiss Find Evidence of CIA Spy Attempt

Swiss authorities have found enough evidence to seek a full investigation into allegations the CIA was trying to obtain personal details of about 500 labor union members, most of them Arabs, officials said Friday. Espionage by foreign agents in Switzerland is illegal and often results in expulsion of the suspects…..(AP, 27 Oct 06)

ACLU Drops Patriot Act Challenge

…The lawsuit, filed in July 2003 on behalf of the Muslim Community Association of Ann Arbor and five other nonprofit groups, was the first legal challenge to Section 215, the part of the Patriot Act that lets federal agents obtain such things as library records and medical information….(AP, 27 Oct 06)

In ’97, U.S. Panel Predicted a North Korea Collapse in 5 Years

A team of government and outside experts convened by the Central Intelligence Agency concluded in 1997 that North Korea’s economy was deteriorating so rapidly that the government of Kim Jong-il was likely to collapse within five years...The panel described the isolated and impoverished country as being on the brink of economic ruin and said that “political implosion stemming from irreversible economic degradation seems the most plausible endgame for North Korea.”….(New York Times, 27 Oct 06)

Prominent 386ers Help for Espionage

...The National Intelligence Service and prosecutors on Thursday also alleged that a former member of the minor opposition Democratic Labor Party’s central committee, Lee Jung-hun (42), and businessman Sohn Jung-mok (42) were persuaded by Chang to join him in spying for the North and until recently provided classified information to North Korean agents.…(Chosun, 27 Oct 06)

Top German intelligence headquarters set to return to Berlin

Berlin - With the east-west Cold War now a distant memory, Berlin has long lost its erstwhile claim to being the spy world's capital….(Deutsche Presse-Agentur, 27 Oct 06)

‘Spy’ Scandal Expands

A scandal involving Italian prime minister Romano Prodi and his wife Flavia who were allegedly spied on for two years escalated on Friday as investigators confirmed that the tax and financial situation of other leading politicians, as well as business, soccer and show business celebrities were also being illegally checked out….(AKI, 27 Oct 06)

South Korea's Roh Loses Intelligence Chief

South Korea's intelligence chief has become the latest member of President Roh Moo-hyun's foreign affairs and national security team to offer to quit in the wake of North Korea's October 9 nuclear test….(Washington Post, 27 Oct 06)

In the Libby Case, A Grilling to Remember

…If I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby was not afraid of the special counsel before, the former Cheney aide, who will face Fitzgerald in a trial beginning Jan. 11, had ample reason to start quaking after yesterday's Ginsu-like legal performance….(Washington Post, 27 Oct 06)

Intelligence Chairman Urges Leak Inquiry

… At issue is the leak of selected contents, harmful to the Bush administration, of a classified National Intelligence Estimate from April titled "Trends of Global Terrorism."…(Washington Post, 27 Oct 06)

Spy Scandal Shakes Labor Party

The Democratic Labor Party (DLP) faces the greatest crisis ever following an allegation that the progressive party’s former and incumbent key postholders were detained for working as North Korean spies….(Korea Times, 27 Oct 06)

Security Officials Sent to Los Alamos

Federal security officials and computer experts have been sent to Los Alamos National Laboratory to ensure directives at the nation's premier nuclear weapons lab are being followed in the wake of a possible security breach….(AP, 26 Oct 06)

Los Alamos Disks May Hold U.S. Secrets

…The FBI is examining at least three computer disks that police in Los Alamos, N.M., discovered last week during a search of a suspected drug dealer's trailer home, according to the FBI and other agencies…(Washington Post, 26 Oct 06)

Los Alamos confirms data breach

Los Alamos National Laboratory, one of the nation's key nuclear weapons research centers, confirmed Wednesday that it experienced a potentially major security breach — discovered last week when police found three laboratory computer drives during a drug arrest at a New Mexico trailer park….(LA Times, 26 Oct 06)

Officials Determine Cause Of Fort Meade Fire

Fort Meade officials said a piece of heating, ventilation and air conditioning equipment started a six-alarm fire at the base that left a building used by the 902nd Military Intelligence Group uninhabitable…(AP, 26 Oct 06)

5 in family charged with military data conspiracy

…The 15-count indictment unsealed in Santa Ana includes allegations raised last year against lead defendant Chi Mak and three of his relatives but never pursued by the government until now. Instead, Mak, his wife, Rebecca Laiwah Chiu, and his brother, Tai Wang Mak, were charged Nov. 15, 2005, with failing to register as agents of a foreign government….(LA Times, 26 Oct 06)

New Charges in Military Secrets Case

…Named in the supplemental indictment were Chi Mak, a U.S. citizen who worked for Anaheim defense contractor Power Paragon; his wife, Rebecca Laiwah Chiu; his brother, Tai Mak; Tai Mak's wife, Fuk Heung Li; and their son, Billy Yui Mak.….(AP, 26 Oct 06)

The enemy within
After the arrest last week of two Indian army personnel for allegedly handing over sensitive defense information to agents of Pakistan's intelligence agency, the Inter-Services Intelligence, the Indian government has ordered a probe to unearth a possible spy ring in its armed forces…(Asia Times, 26 Oct 06)

Prodi Victim in New Spy Flap

A fresh spy furor erupted in Italy on Thursday involving Premier Romano Prodi and his family. Milan prosecutors said they were investigating a spy ring which had gained unauthorized access to the centre-left premier's tax returns and other fiscal records, including financial investment details ….(ANSA, 26 Oct 06)

Dutch Parliament orders investigation into what spy agency knew about film maker's killer

The Dutch parliament ordered an investigation Thursday into how much the country's top intelligence agency service knew about an Islamic extremist before he shot and stabbed film maker Theo van Gogh….(AP, 26 Oct 06)

Britain Covered Up Spy's 1956 Death

…Cdr. Lionel "Buster" Crabb, a decorated Royal Navy veteran, disappeared while diving near Portsmouth in southern England on April 19, 1956. Navy chiefs said Crabb was presumed dead after failing to return from a dive to test underwater equipment…(AP, 26 Oct 06)

Book ties Johnston firm to CIA activity

Ghost Plane: The True Story of the CIA Torture Program, by Stephen Grey
Aero Contractors, a private air charter company based in Johnston County, became the "home of CIA aviation," moving suspected terrorists to countries where they could be more harshly interrogated, according to a new book by freelance journalist Stephen Grey. …(News Observer, 25 Oct 06)

Google seeks better access to government information

…Google's forays into the government include a U.S. Government Search Web page, which is intended to provide a single location for searching across agency information and for keeping up-to-date on government news….(Gov Exec, 25 Oct 06)

Spy agency recruits during ‘CSI,’ ‘Lost’

Devoted followers of "Lost" and "CSI" have untapped spy potential. At least that's what the National Security Agency thinks…(Sun-Sentinel, 25 Oct 06)

Fox to pilot TV show about CIA training

Fox plans to make a TV series about the first CIA training class after the Sept. 11 terror attacks, and are developing a pilot based on a recent memoir….(UPI, 25 Oct 06)

Edward R. McGivern CIA Officer

Edward Robert McGivern, 70, a Central Intelligence Agency officer, died of liver cancer Oct. 18…(Washington Post, 25 Oct 06)

Mission impossible? How to beat Pak in spy game

Has Pakistan’s espionage agency, the Inter Services Intelligence (ISI), infiltrated the Indian armed forces? The arrest last week of two Army men, allegedly ISI moles, has led to this fear once again….(IBN, 24 Oct 06)

KEEPING SECRETS New Initiative Offers Tips for Businesses

…FBI recently launched a new Research and Technology Protection (RTP) program, part of our long-standing InfraGard program. Now in its 10th year, InfraGard is a national partnership between the FBI and the major industries that make up the critical U.S. infrastructure…(Student Operated Press, 25 Oct 06)

Cyber crime high on FBI priority list, help wanted

…Behind terrorism and corporate espionage, cyber crime is high on the list of problems the FBI focuses on. Mershon said that although he considers cyber crime a relatively new means of carrying out traditional crimes, he said it requires different skill sets to investigate….(IT News, 25 Oct 06)

The spy who never came in from the cold

On Friday morning March 16, 1984, William Buckley, the CIA Station Chief in Lebanon, began his three hundred and forty-third day in Beirut. He was alone in his tenth floor apartment in the Al-Manara apartment building in the western suburb of the city. Beyond the windows of his living room were views of the Chouf Mountains and the Mediterranean Sea….(Canada Free Press, 25 Oct 06)

Former Los Alamos Subcontract Worker Probed in Breach

…The potential security breach involves a former employee of a subcontractor at the nuclear-weapons laboratory…(Bloomberg, 25 Oct 06)

Drug Bust Leads To Los Alamos Docs

…Police alerted the FBI to the secret documents, which agents traced back to a woman linked to the drug dealer, officials said. The woman is a contract employee at Los Alamos National Laboratory, according to an FBI official who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the case.…(CBS/AP, 25 Oct 06)

India expels Pakistani embassy worker for espionage

India has ordered the expulsion of a Pakistani working at Islambabad’s embassy in New Delhi for taking secret documents from an Indian army sergeant….(Agence France-Presse, 25 Oct 06)

Intelligence, homeland security agencies sharpen surveillance methods

…Guy Thomas, the Coast Guard's science and technology adviser, said improved surveillance techniques would help provide better protection against the possibility of attacks launched from boats offshore…(Gov Exec, 25 Oct 06)

Another breach at Los Alamos

A drug raid at a trailer park in New Mexico turned up what appeared to be classified documents taken from the Los Alamos nuclear weapons lab…(AP, 25 Oct 06)

New E-Mail Scam Using FBI Name

…A new Internet scam promising cash for responding to a document request claims to be from FBI Director Robert S. Mueller. The top government cop's request is followed by a second e-mail threatening that "failure to comply will result in charges being brought against the individual by the FBI."….(AP, 24 Oct 06)

Italy’s Top Spy Is Expected to Be Indicted in Abduction Case

Italy’s top spy is expected to be replaced in the coming days, as prosecutors seek his indictment on charges connected to the abduction of a militant Egyptian cleric in Milan by American intelligence agents in 2003. The expected indictment of the spy, Nicolò Pollari, is part of a sprawling investigation here….(New York Times, 24 Oct 06)

Russia detains 'Lithuanian spy'

A senior official in the Russian Baltic enclave of Kaliningrad has been arrested and accused of spying for neighboring Lithuania. The Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) named the suspect as Vasily Khitryuk, a local prison official.…(BBC, 24 Oct 06)

More arrests over Pakistan alerts

Three more people have been arrested in Pakistan following security alerts in Islamabad and Rawalpindi earlier this month, police say…(BBC, 24 Oct 06)

India asked Pakistani "spy" Driver to leave the country

India on Tuesday declared Mohd Farooq, a driver with the Pakistan High Commission here, as a persona non grata and asked him to leave the country, four days after he was caught allegedly receiving sensitive documents from an army man here….(New Asia Times, 24 Oct 06)

Czech spy agency says it investigated whether 3 Egyptians plotted attack against airliner

…According to the BIS' annual report published on the spy agency's Web site, the three attempted to enter the cockpit during a flight by the Czech state-run airline CSA from the Norwegian capital, Oslo, to Prague in 2005…(AP, 24 Oct 06)

Convicted engineer loses appeal on commercial espionage charges

…Pei Guoliang, a former senior engineer with the Xi'an Heavy Machinery Research Institute, was charged with commercial espionage after he provided the institute's design drawings to another company, the Shaanxi High People's Court heard….(Xinhua, 24 Oct 06)

Russian security officer detained on suspicion of spying for Lithuania

…Lt. Col. Vasily Khitryuk, of the Federal Prison Service, has been accused of inducing Russian military and security officers to provide secret documents to the Lithuanians for money, said the Federal Security Service, the main successor agency to the Soviet-era KGB….(Pravda, 24 Oct 06)

Ex - CIA Chief Tenet Joins "James Bond" Research Firm

Former U.S. Central Intelligence Agency Director George Tenet has joined the British research firm thought to have provided the inspiration for 'Q', the character who creates spy gadgets for James Bond….(Reuters, 24 Oct 06)

Former CIA spy branded a traitor wants to clear his name

Edwin Wilson began this quest from a solitary-confinement cell, where he wrote letters seeking top-secret documents to show that his own government betrayed him. The notorious ex-spy once traveled the world, gathering intelligence while playing the role of global businessman….(Seattle PI, 23 Oct 06)

Business data breaches found to be more costly than thought

A new study reports that data breaches may cost companies even more than previously thought. The Ponemon Institute released its annual study on the cost of data breaches and found that they cost companies on average $182 per compromised record….(National Journal’s Technology Daily….(23 Oct 06)

Two Men in Coca-Cola Trade Secrets Theft Case Plead Guilty

…Edmund Duhaney, 43, of Decatur, Georgia, and Ibrahim Dimson, 29, of the Bronx, New York, admitted one conspiracy count to U.S. District Judge J. Owen Forrester today in Atlanta. They could face as much as 10 years in prison at a Jan. 29 sentencing….(Bloomberg, 23 Oct 06)

Plea deals to be offered in plot to steal Coke trade secrets
Plea deals were expected to be offered Monday to two of the three people accused of conspiring to steal trade secrets from Coca-Cola Co. and trying to sell them to archrival PepsiCo Inc. The deals were scheduled to be presented to the suspects and before U.S. District Judge Owen Forrester at an 11 a.m. hearing Monday, said Vicki Erwin, his assistant clerk…(AP, 23 Oct 06)

German spy key man in prisoner swap talks

A German spy has in recent weeks secretly tried to organize a prisoner exchange between Israel and Hezbollah, according to a German news magazine…..(UPI, 23 Oct 06)

India probing Pakistani espionage network in its armed forces

New Delhi - India on Monday said it had launched investigations to uncover the Pakistani spy agency's network in the Indian Army, days after two Indian Army personnel were arrested on charges of spying for Pakistan…..(Deutsche Presse-Agentur, 23 Oct 06)

Pakistan and India in spying row

A spying row has erupted between Pakistan and India after a Pakistani diplomatic driver was detained in Delhi for allegedly receiving secret files. …(BBC, 23 Oct 06)

India shares 7/11 intelligence with CIA

India on Monday shared with the CIA intelligence reports about ISI involvement in the recent Mumbai bomb blasts which claimed at least 180 lives…(IBN, 23 Oct 06)

Mossad angry over British espionage series?

The Mossad is furious at a popular British espionage drama series, or so says the 'Sunday Express. The British daily reported Sunday that senior Mossad agents were so angry with the way their organization was depicted in the BBC production 'Spooks' that they decided to take the matter to the British secret service….(YNet, 23 Oct 06)

Report cites delays in clearance appeals process at State

The State Department's process for handling appeals from employees whose security clearances have been withdrawn can be unnecessarily lengthy, inspectors found in a recent report….(Gov Exec, 23 Oct 06)

In contest for talent, intelligence agencies lose out

After devastating personnel cuts in the 1990s, intelligence agencies don’t have the workers they need who can speak foreign languages, analyze data and anticipate threats to the nation’s security. …(Federal Times, 23 Oct 06)

Talented recruits slip away from spy agencies

U.S. spy agencies cannot retain the people they are recruiting and training for the toughest jobs of all: collecting human intelligence on al Qaeda and other terrorist groups….(UPI, 23 Oct 06)

Greed pushed armymen into spying

Delhi police’s special cell on Friday cracked two espionage cases, arresting two armymen who were allegedly passing on sensitive information about army establishments to their Pakistani handlers. In one instance, a Pakistan High Commission employee was caught accepting secret documents….Hindustan Times, 22 Oct 06)

Alleged spy had defense contract

…Michael Quinn, 65, one of two Irishmen named in the Nigerian courts as part of an alleged Russian spy ring, runs a company, Marshpearl, which the Nigerian government paid to maintain and upgrade 36 British-made Scorpion attack vehicles in 2001….(Times Online, 22 Oct 06)

Telescope idea could transform spy work

An Air Force Academy researcher thinks he’s found a new space-based tool to spy on enemy lands. One that could spot when North Korean leader Kim Jong Il hasn’t trimmed his fingernails, or determine what condiments Osama bin Laden is using on his roasted goat dinner…..(Gazette, 22 Oct 06)

103-Year-Old Librarian Was Devoted to Family, Building Relationships

Born Sept. 14, 1902, of modest means and deep ancestral roots in the Washington area, Boteler-Brown lived through a century of increasingly complex and astounding changes… the retired National Security Agency librarian died of aortic stenosis Aug. 11….(Washington Post, 22 Oct 06)