May 2008

Now DND's cloak of secrecy covers would-be suppliers

The Defence Department has increased the secrecy around the way it spends taxpayers' money by bringing in a new rule that prevents companies interested in bidding on equipment projects from talking publicly. The Defence Department has released a notice giving details about its plans to purchase new sonar systems for the navy's frigates. But the department has also warned companies not to discuss the program…..(Ottawa Citizen, 9 May 08)

China surveillance
Defense officials said China has deployed a new wide-area ocean surveillance system that includes an underwater sonar network of sensors, and ground- and sea-based long-range radar that will make it more difficult for U.S. submarines to protect the fleet and to track China's growing force of new attack and missile submarines. A former U.S. government defense specialist on China said on the condition of anonymity that there are indications China is operating a rudimentary underwater Sound Surveillance System, or SOSUS. The sonar network includes fixed sensors that can pinpoint U.S. submarines operating in some areas of the western Pacific…….(Washington Times, 9 May 08)

Thousands ordered deported from Canada are unaccounted for

Canada's border control agency doesn't know the whereabouts of 41,000 people ordered to leave the country, a national government watchdog agency said Tuesday…the agency lacked contact information for 41,000 of the 63,000 people ordered to leave the country as of September 2007. It said the majority ordered deported were rejected refugee applicants and didn't pose "a very high risk to the public." The report said the agency removed about 12,600 individuals in 2006 and 2007, including 1,900 criminals who "posed a high risk to Canada."……(AP, 7 May 08)

Intelligence agencies not to send reports to Musharraf

The Pakistan government has taken the first steps to tighten its grip on security affairs. In a major revamp of the country's intelligence agencies, the government has decided that ISI and other agencies will no longer send secret reports to President Pervez Musharraf. The ISI, Intelligence Bureau and other civilian intelligence agencies will now report to the Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani while the Military Intelligence will report to army chief General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani.  It was only earlier that the agencies used to send secret reports on international and domestic affairs to the President….(CNN, 7 May 08)

Pak PM orders ISI's political wing to be a part of IB

In a major reshuffle in the country's intelligence apparatus, Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has handed over the political wing of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) to the Intelligence Bureau (IB).
Pakistan's IB is part of the country's Interior Ministry. It is Pakistan's main domestic intelligence and espionage agency, and its tasks include counter-intelligence and internal security matters. It is considered as a rival of the country's all powerful intelligence network ISI…From now onwards, the ISI would send intelligence reports to the prime minister and the MI to the Army Chief and the Corps Commanders. And, all civilian intelligence agencies would report to the prime minister….(Malaysia Sun, 7 May 08)

Intelligence agencies sponsoring extremism in the country: Mandokhel

Senator Abdul Rahim Mandokhel has said intelligence agencies are sponsoring extremism in the country… Senator Justice (Retd) Abdul Razzaq Tahim pointed out kidnapping for ransom crimes had been increased manifold all over the country particularly in Sindh. People have not given mandate to the government to recruit hoodlums in place…….(Pak Tribune, 7 May 08)

Contractors urged to obtain security clearance for military construction

The Crown corporation that manages Canadian military construction is appealing to contractors to obtain security clearance as more and more defense projects demand tighter security. Steve Irwin, vice-president of operations and corporate security officer for Defense Construction Canada, didn't have quantitative figures yesterday, but he said there has been "marked" growth in demand for security clearances among contractors. "It's many times the requirement that it was five years ago in terms of quantities of projects," Irwin said. The terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, have played some role in the increased security, but Irwin said the Department of National Defense is also concerned about espionage…….(Kingston Whig, 6 May 08)

FSB Seeks To Clarify What Is Espionage

The Federal Security Service has drafted amendments to the Criminal Code clarifying the definition of espionage. While the bill's supporters say it would help prevent citizens from facing groundless espionage charges, critics warn that if it becomes law, the bill could make it easier for the FSB to prosecute scientists and researchers, many of whom have already been caught up in spy scandals. The draft bill, which makes a distinction between deliberate espionage and disclosure of state secrets without intent to commit high treason, will be completed by Saturday…..(Moscow Times, 6 May 08)

The Secret Chinese fleet

COSCO (China Ocean Shipping Co.) owned the ship that recently tried to deliver a shipment of ammunition to the government of Zimbabwe. COSCO is a $20 billion a year business, owned by the Chinese government, that operates dozens of huge tankers and container transports, as well as ship repair facilities and port operations around the world. It was always understood that COSCO would provide cover for Chinese spy operations, and any "special operations" the Chinese Navy needed help with. However, it appears that COSCO is more into espionage than previously thought. As American counter-terrorism activities increased in out-of-the-way places, they often found that, not only was COSCO already there, but so were plenty of Chinese intelligence personnel, operating under the cover of COSCO employees….(Oracle Syndicate, 6 May 08)

China shrugs off report of tropical nuclear sub base

China refused to be drawn on Tuesday on a photograph which Jane's Information Group analysts believe is evidence of a new underground nuclear submarine base off the southern tropical island of Hainan. China's increasing dependence on imported petroleum and mineral resources had contributed to an intensified Chinese concern about defending its access to vital sea lanes, particularly to its south, Jane's said. It said high-resolution commercially available satellite imagery from DigitalGlobe was independent verification of previous suggestions that China is constructing an underground nuclear submarine base near Sanya on Hainan…..(Reuters, 6 May 08)

Security team infiltration feared

A senior Muslim member of the elite crack shot team that guards the prime minister and other members of government has been removed from his work on "national security grounds," and arguments now are pending over that action, says a report in Joseph Farah's G2 Bulletin. The removal followed an unprecedented second vetting procedure by MI5 that discovered the officer had links to an extremist group outlawed in Pakistan and also on the Home Office list of 15 banned Islamic terror groups in the UK. The exit from the security corps of the tall, powerfully built Amjad Farooq six weeks into his career with the Diplomatic Protection Group, where he was regarded as one of its top pistol crack shots with close protection skills, has become the subject of an industrial tribunal where Farooq, 40, is seeking "substantial damages for racial and religious discrimination."…..(World Net Daily, 5 May 08)

China's Naval Secrets

Experts attempting to understand the strategic aims behind China's aggressive military expansion have generally focused on Taiwan. But a new naval base points at Beijing's significant and growing interest in projecting power into waters far from the Taiwan Strait. China, in fact, is equipping itself to assert its longstanding and expansive territorial claims in the South China Sea, and this plan could raise tensions well beyond the region. The new base is near Sanya, a city on the southern tip of Hainan Island. It's an ideal place for a naval base, and a significant expansion compared to the nearby naval base in the port city of Yulin… Sanya will prove crucial to China's strategic nuclear and power projection ambitions. The Bohai Gulf in the north of the country, the location for the base of the first PLA nuclear ballistic missile submarine (SSBN), is too shallow to support nuclear deterrent patrols. But with the opening of the Sanya base, China's new Type 094 SSBNs can soon find safer 5,000-meter-deep operating areas south of Hainan Island……(Wall Street Journal, 5 May 08)

MI6 chief visits Mossad for talks on Iran's nuclear threat

The head of MI6, Sir John Scarlett, is to visit Israel later this month as Britain forges closer links with Mossad, the Israeli intelligence service. Iran’s nuclear program is expected to be high on the agenda in an intelligence-sharing process described by Israeli officials as a “strategic dialogue”. It is building on long-standing cooperation between MI6 and Mossad, both of which have extensive spy networks in the Middle East. Scarlett, 59, is likley to be briefed by Meir Dagan, 63, the head of Mossad, on Israel’s latest information about the Iranian nuclear program. It is understood that Israel has made a breakthrough in intelligence-gathering within Iran…..(Sunday Times, 4 May 08)

Egypt to send intelligence chief to Israel soon

Egypt will send intelligence chief Omar Suleiman to Israel soon for talks on a truce deal Cairo hopes to seal between Israel and Palestinian militants, President Hosni Mubarak said on Sunday. "I think the head of intelligence will travel there, but after the holiday celebrations in Israel. He will go to talk to the Israeli side,"…..(Reuters, 4 May 08)

China 'using internet spy filters'

A US politician has accused the Chinese government of ordering US-owned hotels in China to install internet filters that can spy on international visitors coming to watch the summer Olympic games…Mr Brownback said he has seen the language of the memos received by at least two US hotels. He declined to name the hotels…..(UK Pres, 4 May 08)

Spy Agency’s Eavesdropping Rose Last Year

The Broadcasting and Communications Commission (BCC) said Thursday that the number of eavesdropping requests from the spy agency and police last year was the highest since 2004, while the number of cases of e-mail monitoring and caller identification also rose. Telephone companies allowed the National Intelligence Service (NIS), police officials and prosecutors to tap 1,142 phone calls last year, up from 1,062 cases in 2006. Most of the requests were from the NIS, the spy agency…..(Korea Times, 2 May 08)

Senator: China plans to spy on Olympic hotel guests

A U.S. senator accused the Chinese government on Thursday of ordering U.S.-owned hotels in China to install Internet filters that can spy on international visitors coming to see the summer Olympic games… The filters could enable the government to monitor Web sites viewed by hotel guests and restrict Internet information coming in and out of China, Brownback said. The senator called China ''the foremost enabler of human rights abuses around the world'' and said the Chinese government is turning the summer games into ''an Olympics of oppression.''….(AP, 1 May 08)

Chinese build secret nuclear submarine base

…Satellite imagery, passed to The Daily Telegraph, shows that a substantial harbor has been built which could house a score of nuclear ballistic missile submarines and a host of aircraft carriers.  In what will be a significant challenge to US Navy dominance and to countries ringing the South China Sea, one photograph shows China’s latest 094 nuclear submarine at the base just a few hundred miles from its neighbors… Of even greater concern to the Pentagon are massive tunnel entrances, estimated to be 60ft high, built into hillsides around the base. Sources fear they could lead to caverns capable of hiding up to 20 nuclear submarines from spy satellites.  The US Department of Defense has estimated that China will have five 094 nuclear submarines operational by 2010 with each capable of carrying 12 JL-2 nuclear missiles…..(Telegraph, 1 May 08)  Satellite image of the harbor

S. Korea May Give Up Purchase of Spy Planes

…Seoul has sought to buy four Global Hawks by 2011 as part of efforts to build independent intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities for its planned takeover of wartime operational control of its military from the U.S. in 2012. The Global Hawk, priced at $45-60 million, is capable of surveying vast areas with near pinpoint accuracy from as high as 65,000 feet for up to 35 hours.Once introduced, the high-flying surveillance drone is expected to play a key role in monitoring North Korean activities near the border, according to defense experts. “Acquisition of high-altitude unmanned surveillance planes is included in the Defense Reform 2020 military modernization plan, but no time has been decided on or what types of aircraft will be purchased,”…..(Korea Times, 1 May 08)

Reacting to Sanctions, Belarus Expels 10 More U.S. Diplomats

Belarus expelled 10 U.S. diplomats Wednesday, deepening a dispute over sanctions imposed on the former Soviet republic by Washington because of the authoritarian rule of President Alexander Lukashenko.  Jonathan Moore, the head of the U.S. mission, told reporters in the Belarusan capital, Minsk, that he had been summoned to the Foreign Ministry and informed that the American diplomats had 72 hours to leave the country……(Washington Post, 1 May 08)

Hayden warns of Russian unrest

Russia's declining population will require Moscow to import foreign workers, increasing racial and religious tensions in the former superpower that still has thousands of nuclear weapons, CIA Director Michael V. Hayden said. Mr. Hayden, an Air Force general, also said in a speech yesterday in Manhattan, Kan., that differences between the U.S. and European governments over the Iraq war and the war on terrorism could divide the traditionally strong trans-Atlantic alliance system.  China's national goals and its military buildup also pose challenges for the U.S. in coming years, and China will turn "adversarial" unless Beijing plays a more constructive role in world affairs….(Washington Times, 1 May 08)

Breach prompts spy base review

A review has been ordered into Wednesday's breaching of security at the Waihopai spy base to find out how such a supposedly secure facility was breached so easily… Police are reportedly looking at charging the men with sabotage. They have so far been charged with intentional damage and entering a building with intention to commit a crime and will re-appear in the Blenheim court on Monday. The attack in the early hours of Wednesday morning has exposed flaws in the Government Communications Security Bureau which has a budget of nearly $40 million and employs more than 300 staff….(TV NZ, 1 May 08)

Waihopai spy base protesters on hunger strike

Two of the three protesters who are accused of damaging a protective dome over a satellite dish at Waihopai Valley spy base are on a hunger strike. Dominican friar Peter Murnane, 67, along with farmer Samuel Land, 24, and organic gardener Adrian Leason, 42, were arrested after allegedly breaking into the spy base early yesterday morning…..(NZ Herald, 1 May 08)

April 2008

Spy base attacked in security breach

Three men have been arrested after an attack on the Waihopai spy base near Blenheim in a breach of security at one of New Zealand's most sensitive security installations. An inflatable cover of a dome has been cut open, deflated and draped over one of the satellite dishes inside…It's Echelon spy network they are opposed to, claiming the network is part of the US government's global spy network used in the war on Iraq. Echelon collects and analyses signals……(TV NZ, 30 Apr 08)

Three Arrested in New Zeland Security Breach

It’s no surprise that the war in Iraq is not the most popular cause with some groups, and the protest group Waihopai Anzac Ploughshares can be counted among those. Ploughshares has claimed responsibility for the security breach at one of New Zealand’s most sensitive security installations, reports tvnz.co.nz. The group claims the base is part of the U.S. spy network…..(IT Business Edge, 30 Apr 08)

Canada 'risk averse' on spies, ex-MI-6 head says

The former head of Britain's Secret Intelligence Service says a recent Federal Court decision that may block Canadian agents from intercepting conversations of domestic targets abroad cements Canada's reputation as a "risk averse" nation…Sir Richard acknowledged during a phone interview that he's heard the Canadian Security Intelligence Service has been doing some good strategic work, including clandestine activities in Afghanistan and dredging up valuable intelligence sources from within Canadian ethnic communities. But he says a much broader rethinking is in order, as CSIS's relatively few foreign agents remain legally obliged to operate as passive receptacles of information…..(Globe & Mail, 30 Apr 08)

Pakistan declares long-range missile ready for wartime use

Pakistan said that a missile capable of carrying a nuclear warhead anywhere in Indian is ready for wartime use after troops launched it on Monday during a field exercise. Scientists and engineers had prepared the Hatf VI missile, also known as Shaheen II, for the exercise with a test-firing on Saturday. Monday's launch "validated the operational readiness of a strategic missile group equipped with the Shaheen II missile,"….(AP, 21 Apr 08)

New anti-terrorism rules 'allow US to spy on British motorists'

…The discovery that images of cars captured on road-side cameras, and "personal data" derived from them, including number plates, can be sent overseas, has angered MPs and civil liberties groups concerned by the increasing use of "Big Brother" surveillance tactics. Yesterday, politicians and civil liberties groups accused the Home Secretary of keeping the plans to export pictures secret from Parliament when she announced last year that British anti-terrorism police could access "real time" images from cameras used in the running of London's congestion charge……(Guardian, 21 Apr 08)

Ecuador’s Leader Purges Military and Moves to Expel American Base

Chafing at ties between American intelligence agencies and Ecuadorean military officials, President Rafael Correa is purging the armed forces of top commanders and pressing ahead with plans to cast out more than 100 members of the American military from an air base here in this coastal city…This month his supporters, in an assembly convened to propose a new constitution, took up the cause, approving a measure that would go a step further and effectively outlaw foreign military bases in Ecuador after the lease expires. Since the American post at Manta is the only foreign military outpost in Ecuador, it was clear the move was a deliberate and very public swipe at the United States, which spent more than $60 million to build the facilities here for Awacs surveillance planes and crew members…..(New York Times, 21 Apr 08)

U.N. official in Iran to press for nuclear answers

The U.N. atomic watchdog's top investigator arrived in Tehran on Monday to press Iran to explain Western intelligence which suggested it covertly studied how to design nuclear bombs… It quoted an unnamed Iranian official as saying his visit was intended to "advance cooperation" between Iran and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the U.N. body trying to clear up suspicions about Iran's disputed nuclear ambitions. The talks will get under way in the afternoon, the ISNA news agency said…..(Reuters, 21 Apr 08)

Venezuela tried to buy time on spy satellite, lawsuit shows

…Chávez offered between $100 million and $150 million during negotiations to acquire partial interest in a company that operates a powerful observation satellite capable of discerning objects as small as about 27 inches across, according to documents in a civil complaint filed in a New York federal court.

Chávez sought to purchase 20 percent to 30 percent of the stock offered by ImageSat International, the company that owns the Eros A and Eros B satellites; the latter was launched in 2006 by Israel, reportedly to spy on Iran's nuclear program. But the Israelis ''sabotaged'' the deal in November 2006….(Miami Herald, 20 Apr 08)

Ecuador could suspend US accords

Ecuador could suspend some military accords with the United States to block what it calls U.S. ideological influence in its armed forces, Defense Minister Javier Ponce said Sunday. Ponce told the news program UNO that current agreements with the U.S. were signed under previous administrations "in the spirit of colonialism" and are under review. He did not give details or say which agreements could be suspended. "The specter of (U.S.) training, financial support and technical support inevitably has permeated the structure and behavior" of Ecuador's security forces, creating "a national security problem,"….(AP, 20 Apr 08)

Wanna be a spy? Check Shin Bet’s blogs

The Shin Bet website now features recruitment blogs by four high-tech spies. Israel’s domestic intelligence agency shed some of its shadowy mystique three years ago when it went online at www.shaback.gov.il in a bid to draw new applicants. Recently, the site launched a new page, www.shin-tech.org.il, on which four Shin Bet computing experts discuss what they like about their jobs…..(Cleveland Jewish News, 18 Apr 08)

Syria pushes back on intel chief 'rumors'

Syrian officials are pushing back against reports that the country's intelligence chief has been removed from his post, using both direct and indirect means. Reports that Gen. Assef Shawkat, the director of military intelligence, the strongest and most influential security service in Syria, had been placed under house arrest or sent his family abroad have been circulating since earlier this month, usually sourced to exiled former regime figures or unnamed intelligence sources…..(UPI, 17 Apr 08)

Homegrown intelligence gap

...Earlier this week, federal lawyers stayed charges against the four "ringleaders" of a "homegrown terror" group that police and security officials once insisted with great fanfare were the spiritual and ideological architects of sinister plans to launch terrorist attacks in this country. The media dubbed the gang "The Toronto 18." The catalogue of crimes they were apparently poised to unleash was astonishing. The plans included storming Parliament Hill, beheading the Prime Minister and seizing control of CBC's Toronto headquarters to issue a jihadist manifesto……(Star, 17 Apr 08)

Intelligence services to be restructured

Home Affairs Minister, Nourredine Yazid Zerhouni has required from Homeland Security General Direction, DGSN submit him a comprehensive report assessing the performance of intelligence services two years after restructuring it…..(Elkhabar, 15 Apr 08)

Shin Bet Launches Arabic, English Sites

Israel's Shin Bet security service launched English and Arabic Web sites Monday in an effort to lift its traditional shroud of secrecy and soften its image. Tired of being associated with dark cellars, covert operations and allegations of torture, Shin Bet is seeking to open up and emphasize its technological and research advances. The Internet sites include video footage of airstrikes, arrest raids, VIP security squads and live-fire training, complete with action-movie music pulsing in the background. The content of the English and Arabic Web sites are nearly identical to that of the Hebrew one, which was launched in December and has attracted thousands of visitors….(AP, 14 Apr 08)English Shin Bet site

Seattle-Based Film Crew Held in Nigeria

Four people from a Seattle-based film crew and a Nigerian man accompanying them have been detained and accused of traveling illegally in restive southern Nigeria, officials said.

Security forces fighting militants in the Niger Delta consider much of the vast wetland region a military zone and have barred outsiders from traveling there without express consent by authorities…..(AP, 14 Apr 08)

After delays, war crimes trial of Serbian intelligence chief to start today

After a delay of a month with legal wrangling back and forth about his health, former Serbian intelligence chief Jovica Stanisic will go on trial before the UN war crimes court today. Last week judges at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) gave the green light for the case to go ahead despite concerns over Stanisic's mental health. Stanisic, 57, spent seven years being one of former Yugoslav president Slobodan Milosevic's closest allies as the head of the Serbian intelligence services. He is being tried together with his deputy Franko Simatovic, 58……(Macau Daily times, 14 Apr 08)

US, Iran in secret discussions on nuclear program: report

The United States and Iran have been conducting secret back-channel discussions on Tehran's nuclear program and frozen relations between the two countries, The Independent reported Monday. The British newspaper quotes former US under secretary of state Thomas Pickering as saying that a group of former US diplomats and foreign policy experts had been meeting with Iranian academics and policy advisers "in a lot of different places, although not in the US or Iran" for the past five years……(AFP, 14 Apr 08)

Gunning For Google Earth

China has been cracking down on Chinese language map sites on the Internet. Those within China have been ordered to only display government approved information. This is a standard practice in communist dictatorships, to control access to accurate maps. The government is also pressuring Google to limit military information displayed by Google Earth, otherwise China will block access to Google Earth......(Strategy Page, 14 Apr 08)

German security firms reportedly working in Iran

The unfolding German police scandal over elite commandos who allegedly trained Libyan security forces has revealed the possible presence of private German security firms in Iran. In an interview with the FAZ newspaper, Thomas Oppermann, the Social Democratic Party (SPD) chairman of the parliamentary panel that oversees intelligence and police agencies, said "there is cooperation on security with countries that cannot be considered 'perfect.'"  Oppermann cited Iran, Belarus, and Pakistan as examples of German security cooperation……(Jerusalem Post, 13 Apr 08)

Group Urges Pakistan Detainees Freed

Pakistan's new government must immediately release dozens of people who were secretly detained by spy agencies as part of President Pervez Musharraf's cooperation with the U.S.-led war on terrorism, human rights activists said Sunday. Some of the detainees have been illegally handed over to U.S. custody, said Khalid Khawaja, chief coordinator of the Pakistan-based group Defense of Human Rights. Critics claim Musharraf's administration has detained dozens of militant suspects without formal charges or access to justice or their families since Musharraf allied Pakistan with Washington following the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001……(AP, 13 Apr 08)

Intelligence Bureau chief replaced with official loyal to PPP

The Pakistan Peoples Party-led coalition government has appointed as new Intelligence Bureau chief Tariq Lodhi, an officer who enjoyed the trust of slain Benazir Bhutto during her 1993-1996 stint in power. Lodhi, a retired air commodore, has been serving in a senior position at the IB setup in southern Sindh province…..(Gulf News, 13 Apr 08)

Gunmen kill Pakistani intelligence official

Gunmen riding a car shot dead an intelligence agent in a northwestern Pakistani town on Friday, the third official from the government’s security agency to be killed in little over two weeks, police said. The official, Khaliq Khan, head of the Intelligence Bureau in Charsadda town, was killed on his way home after Friday’s prayers. Two other officials from the bureau’s anti-terrorism wing were killed in Karachi on March 27…..(Reuters, 11 Apr 08)

Spy photos reveal 'secret launch site' for Iran's long-range missiles

The secret site where Iran is suspected of developing long-range ballistic missiles capable of reaching targets in Europe has been uncovered by new satellite photographs. The imagery has pinpointed the facility from where the Iranians launched their Kavoshgar 1 “research rocket” on February 4, claiming that it was in connection with their space program. Analysis of the photographs taken by the Digital Globe QuickBird satellite four days after the launch has revealed a number of intriguing features that indicate to experts that it is the same site where Iran is focusing its efforts on developing a ballistic missile with a range of about 6,000km (4,000 miles)……(Times Online, 11 Apr 08)

Ecuador Military Crisis to Test Correa's Mettle

Ecuadorean President Rafael Correa faces a stiff battle to increase his influence over the military, after his top commanders quit and ended his honeymoon with an institution that ousted three presidents in a decade… Correa last week accused the military of delivering intelligence to the CIA, which he said shared it with U.S.-ally Colombia after Bogota's raid on a rebel camp inside Ecuador sparked a diplomatic spat between the neighbors.  He shunned an urgent request from military bosses to discuss his criticism, and in a surprise move replaced his defense minister with a close ally, who has vowed more civilian checks over the institution…..(Reuters, 10 Apr 08)

British court condemns end to Saudi arms probe

A corruption investigation into arms deals with Saudi Arabia should not have been halted, a London court said on Thursday in a ruling that sharply criticized the British and Saudi governments… Two anti-arms trade campaigners had said there was "very large scale bribery" of senior Saudi Arabian officials by the arms manufacturer over the state-to-state Al Yamamah deal and said the probe was halted after the threats. "That threat was intended to prevent the (SFO) director from pursuing the course of investigation he had chosen to adopt. It achieved its purpose,"…..(Reuters, 10 Apr 08)

Former Serbian Intelligence Chief to Stand Trial for War Crimes

Judges at the United Nations war crimes tribunal have determined that a former Serbian intelligence chief is fit to stand trial and scheduled the start of proceedings for Monday. The judges acted after receiving a medical report on the health of defendant Jovica Stanisic, who is suffering from depression, intestinal problems and osteoporosis. His trial and that of his former deputy, Franko Simatovic, has been postponed three times because of the former intelligence chief's illness…..(Voice of America, 9 Apr 08)

Ecuador Shakes Up Security Forces

…President Rafael Correa demanded the resignations of Defense Minister Wellington Sandoval and national police director Gen. Bolivar Cisneros in the intelligence and security purge. Two other top military commanders offered to resign on Wednesday.

The leftist president had even alleged that the CIA had infiltrated Ecuador's intelligence agencies _ and that top officials were more beholden to American spies than their own country.

Correa was outraged that military intelligence apparently advised Colombian officials _ but not him _ about an Ecuadorean man's contacts with Colombian rebels. The man was killed by the Colombian military in a cross-border raid last month on a camp maintained by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia…..(AP, 9 Apr 08)

United Arab Emirates Ministry Of Defense Endorses Regions First Geospatial Intelligence Conference

International Quality and Productivity Center (IQPC), the global provider of tailored, industry-driven conferences, announced today that their upcoming conference on “Defense Geospatial Intelligence” will be held under the patronage of UAE’s Ministry of Defense… Topics covered include the future of GIS – what technologies are on the horizon that may radically impact the evolution of geospatial technology; future geospatial trends and technologies that could aid homeland security and civil resilience……(Middle East Events, 9 Apr 08)

FBI Chief Enters British Wiretap Debate

…Almost alone among Western countries, Britain does not allow suspects' telephone conversations, intercepted by the police or the MI5 intelligence agency, to be presented as evidence to a trial jury…"I know that is a debate here," FBI Director Robert Mueller told London's Chatham House think-tank, describing the use of intercepts in court as "tremendously beneficial." "Some of the best evidence you get are the words coming out of the mouths of those who are being prosecuted. I understand some of the ups and downs on that but you really put your intelligence and law enforcement services in a bind" by ruling such evidence inadmissible, he said……(Reuters, 7 Apr 08)

National intelligence chief wants restrictions on communist archives opening

On April 7 2008, Kircho Kirov, head of the National Intelligence Service (NIS), described the work of the commission in charge of declassification of communist-era secret service archives as successful, but asked for changes in legislation that would protect Bulgaria’s national security. Kirov was speaking at a conference held in Sofia on the occasion of the commission’s one-year anniversary. The changes that Kirov suggested would prevent the commission from disclosing information about heads of departments and sections within NIS. According to him, these posts did not fall under the definition of “public posts” that the commission is obliged to check…..(Sofia Echo, 8 Apr 08)

Ecuador to investigate intelligence agencies amid charges of foreign ties

The Defense Ministry announced a civilian-led investigation of Ecuador's intelligence agencies on Monday after the president complained of not being kept informed and of alleged foreign infiltration of the services.

President Rafael Correa — a leftist critic of Washington — has accused Ecuador's intelligence agencies of being infiltrated by the CIA, without providing specific examples or proof. U.S. Embassy spokesman Arnaldo Arbesu said Monday the embassy has not officially been notified of Correa's comments. Last week, Correa demanded that the head of army intelligence be removed for not informing him of rebel ties to an Ecuadorean killed in a Colombian raid on a guerrilla camp in Ecuador. Correa has denounced the raid as a violation of Ecuador's sovereignty…..(AP, 8 Apr 08)

Ex-KGB spy sparks turf war

Britain's intelligence chiefs are locked in what one insider calls "furious disagreement" over claims made by a former KGB spy who was their star informer during the Cold War and who now claims he is the latest victim of a poisoning attempt by a Russian hitman, according to Joseph Farah's G2 Bulletin. Oleg Gordievsky insists he was poisoned by an assassin who visited his home and that his former controller, John Scarlett, now the head of MI6, ordered the alleged attack to be covered up. The claim is dismissed by the Secret Intelligence Service as "absurd and without foundation." Sources say Gordievsky is suffering from "acute stress" over the attacks on other high-profile defectors. But it has emerged that Gordievsky, a stout 69-year-old who defected to Britain in 1985, telephoned another senior member of Britain's intelligence service, Dame Eliza Manningham-Buller. She is the former head of MI5……(World Net Daily, 8 Apr 08)

Sudan spy chief accuses Western embassies of recruiting agents

The top security official in Sudan accused some Western embassies in Sudan of “meddling in Sudan affairs”. Salah Gosh, the head of Sudan’s National Security and Intelligence Service, speaking to forum named “Foreign presence in Sudan and its effect on National Security” said that these embassies are “acting like a watchdog on the executive branch”.  “They are trying to influence the government agencies as well as Sudan’s politics” he added……(Sudan Tribune, 7 Apr 08)

Reports: Syrian Military Intelligence Chief Fired Following Mughniya Assassination

Former Syrian vice president Abd Al-Halim Khaddam, who is currently a leader of the exiled Syrian opposition, said that Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad has exploited the assassination of senior Hizbullah commander Imad Mughniya to strike at the status of Syrian military intelligence chief Gen. Asaf Shokat. He said that Shokat was under house arrest with a guard, and that interior security head Amid Khafez Makhlouf had been appointed to investigate the assassination in his stead…..(MEMRI Blog, 7 Apr 08)

Australian Intelligence Agency Asked to Catch Laser Bandits

Australia's spy agency has been brought in to help combat a rise in the number of so-called laser attacks on aircraft landing at the country's busiest airport in Sydney. Pilots say they are being hit with laser light flashes in what appear to be coordinated efforts to hamper flying. The federal government has called an emergency meeting with officials from Customs, the Australian Security Intelligence Organization and the police……(VOA, 7 Apr 08)

South Korean spy plane crashes, pilots survive

Two pilots safely ejected as a South Korean military plane crashed on Monday during a routine patrol flight near the border with North Korea, the Xinhua news agency reported. The agency said citing the South Korean military that an RF-4C fighter crashed early Monday in mountainous Gangwon Province, 25 minutes after taking off from an airbase south of Seoul. The military said there were no reports of casualties on the ground and a team of investigators had been dispatched to the scene to determine the cause of the accident…..(RIA Novosti, 7 Apr 08)

German intelligence denies role in Libya affair

Germany's BND intelligence agency has denied any involvement in the affair involving the clandestine training of Libyan security services by German police. The daily Berliner Zeitung had reported that the foreign intelligence service had acted in an advisory capacity for the training program conducted by about 30 police specialists between 2005 and 2007. The newspaper said the training was agreed on in October 2004 when then-Chancellor Gerhard Schröder met Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi in the North African nation.  "The BND has neither offered training assistance nor was connected in an advisory capacity," a BND spokesman in Berlin told the DPA news agency on Saturday……(Local, 5 Apr 08)

China: No Iran Intelligence Went to IAEA

China denied Thursday that it had provided the International Atomic Energy Agency with intelligence linked to Iran's alleged attempts to make nuclear arms. China opposes harsh U.N. Security Council sanctions against Iran and has consistently watered down a U.S.-led push to impose severe penalties on Tehran for its nuclear defiance since the first set of sanctions was passed in late 2006……(AP, 3 Apr 08)

China reveals Iran's nuclear secrets to UN

…Beijing is believed to have decided to assist the inspectors after documents seized from Iranian officials included blueprints for "shaping" uranium metal into warheads, the testing of high explosives used to detonate radioactive material and the procurement of dual-use technology. Much of the new material was presented to the governors of the Vienna-based IAEA in February. That meeting is said to have triggered China's change of heart…..(Telegraph 3 Apr 08)

Musharraf ally dropped as Pak military intelligence chief

Pakistan Army chief General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani on Wednesday appointed a new director general of military intelligence, replacing an official who was a close ally of President Pervez Musharraf. Maj Gen Muhammad Asif, who had earlier served as Pakistan's defense attache in Russia, will be the new director general of military intelligence (MI)…Asif replaced Maj Gen Nadeem Ejaz, who was posted as general officer commanding in Bahawalpur…..(Times of India, 2 Apr 08)

Diplomats: China Has Provided IAEA With Intelligence on Iran's Nuke Program

China, an opponent of harsh U.N. Security Council sanctions against Iran, has nonetheless provided the International Atomic Energy Agency recently with intelligence linked to Tehran's alleged attempts to make nuclear arms, diplomats have told The Associated Press. Beijing, along with Moscow, has acted as a brake within the council, consistently watering down a U.S.-led push to impose severe penalties on Tehran for its nuclear defiance since the first set of sanctions was passed in late 2006. A Chinese decision to provide information for use in the agency's attempts to probe Iran's purported nuclear weapons program would appear to reflect growing international unease about how honest the Islamic republic has been in denying it ever tried to make such arms……(AP, 2 Apr 08)

Israel: Shhh! Iran may be listening

The Zionist regime claims that Tehran has launched hi-tech eavesdropping stations in Syria to hamper Israeli military communications. Israeli security officials speaking on condition of anonymity say henceforth cell phones will be forbidden in confidential meetings and sensitive military conversations will be restricted to designated areas. The officials refused to further elaborate on the issue of the listening stations but explained that by taking necessary precautions, they hope to intercept Tehran's eavesdropping efforts….(Press TV, 2 Apr 08)

Intel warns of Thatcher kin kidnap plot

Britain’s secret intelligence service, MI6, has warned Sir Mark Thatcher, the son of Britain’s former prime minister, that a powerful Russian criminal organization has offered to kidnap Thatcher to the oil-rich African state of Equatorial Guinea, according to Joseph Farah's G2 Bulletin. Its president, Teodoro Obiang, a dictator reputed to eat the brains of his opponents, has ordered that Thatcher, 54, must be "pursued by all possible means to the end of the earth to face our justice." In response to his demands, the Rising Sun, headed by Semyon Yukovich Mogilevich, has offered to kidnap Thatcher, intelligence reports say…..(World Net Daily, 1 Apr 08)

March 2008

Terror threat sparks scientist check

Police and secret service officers are carrying out background checks on thousands of scientists without their knowledge, amid fears terrorists are targeting British laboratories to obtain deadly viruses. The vetting, which includes checks on family backgrounds, political views and associates, is part of a review of some 800 laboratories in hospitals, universities and private firms where staff have access to incurable viruses such as ebola…..(Telegraph, 31 Mar 08)

Pakistan: 2 Intel Agents Shot Dead

Police in Pakistan say a gunman on a motorcycle has fatally shot two anti-terrorism officials in the southern city of Karachi. Police officer Syed Sulaiman Shah said Friday the two victims worked in the anti-terrorism unit of a government intelligence agency….(AP, 28 Mar 08)

Belarus Claims to Uncover US Spy Ring

Belarus state television said in a Sunday report that the country's security agency, the KGB, had uncovered a spy ring of 10 Belarus citizens giving classified information to an agent working for the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation. The report said all those involved in espionage worked in the country's capital Minsk. The KGB confirmed the report on Tuesday. No one has been detained yet, the agency's head, Yury Zhadobin, told reporters. ….(Moscow News, 27 Mar 08)

Mugabe ropes in Israeli spies to steal vote: opposition

Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe has enlisted the services of Israeli computer experts with links to the Jewish state's Mossad spy agency to help steal a weekend vote, the opposition said Thursday. Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) secretary general Tendai Biti claimed that Mugabe has hired an Israeli company manned by IT experts who are linked to Mossad, the Israeli intelligence agency, to doctor the voters' roll to help him win the tightly-contested vote with around a 60 percent majority…..(AFP, 27 Mar 08)

Brits spearhead hunt for billionaire
Britain’s intelligence services – MI5 and MI6 – are spearheading the manhunt for a Russian-born media magnate who was an outspoken critic of the murder of Alexander Litvinenko, the former KGB spy poisoned by polonium, acco