Category Archives: Espionage

Israel’s prime target: the hunt for Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar

Posted on by

Motivated pursuers using advanced technology and brute force have yet to pin down their cautious quarry. Would his death or capture stop the war?

A group of Israel hostages were huddled in a tunnel in Gaza a few days after they had been dragged from their homes on 7 October, when the man who had plotted their abduction appeared out of the subterranean gloom.

His hair and beard were grey and his dark-ringed eyes stared out from under thick black brows. It was a face familiar to them from a thousand broadcasts and newspaper stories: Yahya Sinwar. The Hamas leader in Gaza was the most feared man in Israel, even before he ordered the October raid in which 1,200 people – two-thirds of them civilians – were killed and 250 taken hostage.

Continue reading...

Family of Ethel Rosenberg say US document proves she was no Soviet spy

Posted on by

Sons whose mother was executed with her husband Julius in 1953 say newly released document proves innocence

The family of Ethel Rosenberg, who was sent to the electric chair along with her husband, Julius, in 1953 after being convicted of spying for the Soviets at the height of the Red Scare, have called on Joe Biden to formally exonerate her after a newly released document appeared to show that the US government knew she was not a spy.

The couple maintained their innocence until the end and the case of the Rosenbergs has long been seen as a possible miscarriage of justice. Though most historians see Julius Rosenberg as a real Soviet spy, questions about Ethel Rosenberg’s role have lingered and their sons, Robert and Michael Meeropol, have long campaigned in their family’s cause.

Continue reading...

Whale alleged to be Russian ‘spy’ died after stick became lodged in its mouth, say police

Posted on by

Animal rights groups had claimed beluga named Hvaldimir, which was found dead last month, had been shot

A beluga whale that rose to fame in Norway after its unusual harness prompted suspicions that the creature was trained by Russia as a spy died after a stick became stuck in its mouth, police have said.

The lifeless body of the whale, named Hvaldimir – a combination of the Norwegian word for whale and the first name of the Russian president, Vladimir Putin – was found floating in the sea on 31 August by a father and son fishing in Risavika Bay, southern Norway.

Continue reading...

Ex-aide to New York governors charged with being agent of Chinese government

Posted on by

Linda Sun, Kathy Hochul’s former deputy chief of staff, arrested for ‘furthering’ Chinese interests, attorney says

A former New York state government official who worked for the former governor Andrew Cuomo and current governor, Kathy Hochul, was charged on Tuesday with acting as an undisclosed agent of the Chinese government, federal prosecutors revealed in a sprawling indictment.

Linda Sun, who held numerous posts in New York state government before rising to the rank of deputy chief of staff for Hochul, was arrested on Tuesday morning along with her husband, Chris Hu, at their $3.5m home on Long Island.

Continue reading...

Sweden warns of heightened risk of Russian sabotage

Posted on by

Weapons facilities targeted as security companies report more sabotage attempts, espionage and cyber-attacks

Swedish authorities have warned of a heightened risk of Russian sabotage, in particular of weapons facilities, as the defence industry said it was being increasingly targeted.

Security companies in Sweden reported a rise in sabotage attempts, including using drones over defence company facilities to document and map them, “more aggressive” espionage, cyber-attacks and misinformation.

Continue reading...

‘Three or four’ countries involved in foreign interference in Australia including ‘friends’, Mike Burgess says

Posted on by

Asio director general says some of the countries trying to intimidate diaspora communities ‘would surprise you’

Australia’s spy boss, Mike Burgess, has confirmed that Iran is one of “at least three or four” countries involved in foreign interference in Australia’s diaspora communities.

Speaking on ABC’s Insiders on Sunday, the director general of security in charge of the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation said he could think of “at least three or four [countries] that are we’ve actually actively found involved in foreign interference in Australia and diaspora communities”.

Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup

Continue reading...

MI5’s posthumous discovery of Stakeknife files alarms inquiry chief

Posted on by

Release of intelligence year after death ‘casts doubt’ on security service’s previous claims about British spy in IRA accused of murders

The police chief investigating murders allegedly carried out by Freddie Scappaticci, a British agent in the IRA known as Stakeknife, has expressed alarm that hundreds of pages of files providing “new investigative leads” have been found by MI5 a year after Scappaticci’s death.

Sir Iain Thomas Livingstone, a former head of Police Scotland who leads Operation Kenova, has written to the Northern Ireland secretary of state to highlight the troubling timing and warn that the new intelligence raises questions about MI5’s previous claims of knowledge about Stakeknife.

Continue reading...

Kremlin admits Vadim Krasikov is a Russian state assassin

Posted on by

Spokesperson hints killer exchanged in prisoner swap was linked to Putin’s personal guard

The Kremlin has admitted that Vadim Krasikov, the assassin freed by Germany in a historic prisoner swap on Thursday, is a serving officer of the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation (FSB), essentially an acknowledgment that his 2019 murder of a Chechen exile in Berlin was a state-ordered hit.

It also hinted that he was linked to Vladimir Putin’s personal guard.

Continue reading...

Who’s who among the prisoner exchange between Russia and the west?

Posted on by

Deal includes political prisoners and journalists held in Russia and Belarus being swapped for Russians held in west

Evan Gershkovich
A Wall Street Journal reporter, Gershkovich became the first western correspondent to be arrested for espionage since the fall of the Soviet Union. Detained in March 2023 while on a reporting trip to Ekaterinburg, Russian authorities claim he was collecting information for the CIA, but have never made public any of their supposed evidence. Gershkovich, his newspaper and the US state department have all denied the charges. He was sentenced to 16 years in jail in July in a speedy, closed trial.

Continue reading...

Russian spies sentenced in Slovenia after pleading guilty

Posted on by

Pair’s conviction could pave way for inclusion in any future prisoner exchange between Russia and west

Two Russian deep-cover spies arrested in Slovenia have pleaded guilty in a swift court case that potentially paves the way for them to be included in a prisoner exchange between Russia and the west.

The pair, whose real names are thought to be Artem Dultsev and Anna Dultseva, were arrested in late 2022, and are believed to be “illegals” – deep-cover Russian spies trained to impersonate foreigners, who spend years living abroad in their cover identities. They posed as Ludwig Gisch and Maria Mayer, an Argentinian couple, and spoke to their two children in Spanish. She ran an online art gallery and he had an IT business, but all the while they secretly worked for Russian intelligence.

Continue reading...

Albanese tells Russian embassy to ‘back off’ over criticisms of spying charges

Posted on by

Prime minister’s comments come as embassy claims agency bosses were trying to fuel ‘anti-Russian paranioa’

Anthony Albanese has told Russia to “back off” after its embassy accused Australia’s security heads of fuelling “anti-Russian paranoia” over the arrest of two alleged spies accused of trying to access classified defence information.

The Russian-born Australians – including one who is an army private – were arrested over an alleged spying scheme targeting the defence department, with authorities emphasising concerns over espionage and foreign interference.

Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup

Continue reading...

Belgian police search EU parliament office over Russian interference

Posted on by

Parliamentary staffer may have played ‘significant role’ in alleged payments to MEPs to promote propaganda on Voice of Europe website

Belgian police have searched the European parliament office and Brussels home of a parliamentary staffer who is believed to have played “a significant role” in a Russian interference operation, the national prosecutor has said.

French authorities also carried out a search of the employee’s European parliament office in Strasbourg at the request of the Belgian examining magistrate overseeing the inquiry into corruption and Russian interference.

Continue reading...

Spying, hacking and intimidation: Israel’s nine-year ‘war’ on the ICC exposed

Posted on by

Exclusive: Investigation reveals how intelligence agencies tried to derail war crimes prosecution, with Netanyahu ‘obsessed’ with intercepts

When the chief prosecutor of the international criminal court (ICC) announced he was seeking arrest warrants against Israeli and Hamas leaders, he issued a cryptic warning: “I insist that all attempts to impede, intimidate or improperly influence the officials of this court must cease immediately.”

Karim Khan did not provide specific details of attempts to interfere in the ICC’s work, but he noted a clause in the court’s foundational treaty that made any such interference a criminal offence. If the conduct continued, he added, “my office will not hesitate to act”.

Continue reading...

Beijing accuses UK of making false allegations against Chinese citizens

Posted on by

Foreign ministry’s claim follows death of ex-Royal Marine charged with spying in Britain for Hong Kong

China has accused the UK of false accusations, “wanton stigmatisation” and arbitrary arrests after the unexplained death of a man charged with illegally assisting Hong Kong’s foreign intelligence service.

China’s foreign ministry office in Hong Kong said in a statement on its website on Saturday that it strongly condemned Britain for what it said were false accusations against Chinese citizens, infringing their lawful rights.

Continue reading...

Daniel Duggan loses fight against extradition to US over allegedly training Chinese pilots, magistrate rules

Posted on by

The Australian former US marine pilot faces a potential prison sentence of up to 60 years on charges of arms trafficking and money laundering

Australian man Daniel Duggan, a former US marine pilot wanted in America over allegations he trained Chinese fighter pilots, is eligible to be extradited to the United States where he faces a potential prison sentence of up to 60 years, a magistrate has ruled.

Duggan appeared in court for the first time since his arrest 19 months ago, dressed in a grey suit jacket, white shirt and blue tie. From behind the security glass of the dock he blew kisses to his family and supporters, and made a love-heart symbol towards his wife, Saffrine, mouthing the words “I love you” to her.

Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup

Continue reading...

Russia expels British military attache in diplomatic tit for tat

Posted on by

Adrian Coghill ordered to leave in response to UK expelling Kremlin’s attache to London for alleged spying

Russia is expelling Britain’s defence attache to Moscow in the latest diplomatic tit for tat, after the UK accused it of sponsoring espionage and hacking attacks against top British officials in a years-long campaign of “malign activity”.

The Russian foreign ministry said it had declared the British defence attache, Adrian Coghill, as “persona non grata. He must leave the territory of the Russian Federation within a week.”

Continue reading...

UK to expel Russian defence attache as sanctions escalate

Posted on by

Home secretary announces closure of Russian diplomatic premises after pattern of ‘malign activity’ in Britain and Europe

Russia’s defence attache is an “undeclared military intelligence officer” who will be expelled from the UK amid an escalation of sanctions, the home secretary has said.

James Cleverly also announced on Wednesday the removal of diplomatic status for several Russian-owned premises and told MPs the moves followed a pattern of “malign activity” across Britain and Europe.

Continue reading...

‘Countries are now forced to confront it’: Rise in Chinese espionage arrests alarms Europe

Posted on by

Increase in cases reflects changing mood across continent towards Chinese threats, say experts

As China’s president, Xi Jinping, arrived in Serbia for the second leg of his European tour, authorities across the continent were grappling with a wave of allegations about Chinese spying.

On Tuesday, the UK prime minister, Rishi Sunak, revealed that a “malign actor” had compromised British military payroll records, with reports pointing the finger at China.

Continue reading...

Xi Jinping to visit France, Hungary and Serbia amid EU trade tariff row

Posted on by

China’s president arrives as EU anti-subsidy investigations and tensions over espionage, Ukraine and Taiwan continue

China’s president, Xi Jinping, is to visit Europe next week for the first time in five years, in a tour that will take in the unlikely trifecta of France, Hungary and Serbia.

The visit comes as China pushes to avoid a trade war with the EU, while attitudes towards Beijing in the bloc are hardening after multiple spying scandals and China’s ongoing support for Russia in the war in Ukraine.

Continue reading...

AfD politician’s aide arrested on suspicion of spying for China

Posted on by

Man worked as assistant to Maximilian Krah, top candidate in European parliament elections, say prosecutors

A close adviser to a leading member of Germany’s far-right populist Alternative für Deutschland party (AfD) has been arrested on suspicion on spying for China in the latest high-profile espionage case to have come to light.

The man, identified by prosecutors as Jian G, was accused of “an especially severe instance” of espionage, prosecutors said, following his arrest in the early hours of Tuesday morning. It comes after the arrests of three German citizens accused of industrial spying for China in return for payment.

Continue reading...