November 2008

Germany: German murder trial casts doubt on Police use of informants

On January 30, 2008, three people were murdered in the German town of Frankenthal. One of the suspects is a police informant hired to spy in Islamic circles. But who actually committed the crime and why?  About the only thing that's clear in the triple-homicide trial that got under way at the start of this week in Frankenthal is the identity of the victims -- three used-car dealers from Georgia who were killed in a nearby forest and whose bodies were then dumped in the Rhine River. Defendant Talib O., a 40-year-old German-Iraqi, has claimed co-defendant Ahmed M. killed the three men because of his fanatic hatred of Christians -- or, as O. told the court via an interpreter "a special kind of fundamentalism."….(Muslim, 12 Nov 08)

Nasrallah: Israeli hands that attack Lebanon will be severed

Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah on Tuesday accused Israel of operating multiple spy networks in Lebanon, vowing that "the Israeli hand that attacks Lebanon will be cut off."… The head of the Lebanon-based guerilla group spoke via satellite at an event marking Hezbollah's Martyrs Day in a suburb of the Lebanese capital Beirut, celebrating the militia's first suicide bombing in 1982.  Nasrallah, broadcast on a giant television screen, told a crowd of supporters that not only is Israel to blame for numerous murders in Lebanon, it is also waging psychological warfare against its neighbor.  "The spy network that was recently exposed is one of many operating in more than one arena and in more than one place," the Hezbollah chief said, referring to a cell recently arrested by the Lebanese army, believed to be linked to Israel's Mossad.  "This is a serious matter and we must pay close attention to it - at this very moment there are spy planes flying over the Dahiya," Nasrallah continued, urging the Lebanese army to obtain anti-aircraft missiles…..(Haaretz, 12 Nov 08)

Iranian-American Student Freed On Bail In Tehran

An Iranian-American student and women's rights activist who was jailed in Iran for almost a month has been released on bail.  Esha Momeni, who has been charged with "acting Against Iran's national security," reportedly spent about 25 days in solitary confinement. She was detained in Tehran's notorious Evin prison.  Momeni's lawyer told RFE/RL's Radio Farda that Momeni has been ordered not to leave the country and will be summoned to court at the appropriate time. He expressed hope that Momeni will be cleared of all charges and that she will be able to leave the country in the near future.  Momeni was arrested in Tehran on October 15 while visiting Iran from California, where she lives and attends university…..(RFERL, 11 Nov 08)

Spy agency rejects Kim Jong-il's stroke report

South Korea's intelligence agency Tuesday rejected a Japanese television report that North Korean leader Kim Jong-il had suffered a second stroke, with the South playing down further speculation about Kim's hold on power.

Japan's TBS TV network said Kim had suffered a second stroke late last month that affected the movement of his left arm and leg and also his ability to speak. The broadcaster quoted a source in South Korea close to a U.S. intelligence agency.  "We're viewing it with a low credibility," a South Korean National Intelligence Service official told Reuters. He declined to discuss the details of the report or the agency's assessment. U.S. and South Korean officials have said Kim suffered a stroke in August, raising questions about succession in Asia's only communist dynasty and about who was making decisions concerning its nuclear weapons program……(Reuters, 11 Nov 08)

Iran says security cameras not to violate privacy rights

Iranian Parliament's National Security Commission said on Tuesday that security cameras for public surveillance should not violate the privacy rights of citizens, Iran's Press TV reported.   According to the report, Iranian parliamentarian Kazem Jalali warned that the program might violate privacy rights, saying that any use of the technology had to be within existing privacy guidelines.  "It is only acceptable if the systems are installed in public areas," Jalali was quoted as saying.  Iran's Law Enforcement Agency (NAJA) had reportedly already proposed to install cameras in the "crime-ridden areas" of major cities to help track the moments of crisis.  Head of NAJA, Brigadier General Ismail Ahmadi-Moqaddam, pledged on Sunday to use surveillance cameras only to monitor crime and not to spy on citizens…..(Xinhua, 11 Nov 08)

Iraqis have a clear idea who they believe funds their secret police

If it ever comes to court it should be one of the more interesting libel cases of the decade. The Iraqi National Intelligence Service is threatening to sue Ahmed Chalabi, the Iraqi politician, for asking who pays for it.  "It is somewhat curious," says Mr Chalabi, "that the intelligence service of a country which is sovereign – that no one really knows who is funding it."  In fact there are very few Iraqis who do not believe they have a very clear idea of who funds Iraq's secret police. Its director is General Mohammed Abdullah Shahwani, who once led a failed coup against Saddam Hussein, and was handpicked by the CIA to run the new security organization soon after the invasion of 2003. He is believed to have been answering to them ever since.  The history of the Iraqi intelligence service is important because it shows the real distribution of power in Iraq rather than the spurious picture presented by President Bush. It explains why so many Iraqis are suspicious of the security accord, or Status of Forces Agreement, that the White House has been pushing the Iraqi prime minister Nouri al-Malki to sign… General Shahwani is reported to work primarily for American intelligence. The intelligence service is "not working for the Iraqi government – it's working for the CIA," Hadi al-Ameri, a powerful Shia lawmaker, was quoted as saying three years ago. "I prefer to call it the American Intelligence of Iraq, not the Iraqi Intelligence Service."…..(Independent, 11 Nov 08)

Websites and broadcasters 'to be banned from reporting matters of national security'

The Intelligence and Security Committee is proposing that the Government should be able to gag newspapers and broadcasters from reporting on news stories that are deemed to be against the national interest.  The plans are understood to be contained in the committee's annual report which is due to be published in the new year.  The committee is thought to want to recommend an overhaul of the DA-notice system, under which the Government can request that information regarding military missions, anti-terrorist operations at home and espionage are not published.  The unprecedented clampdown was hinted at in the committee's last annual report.  It said: "The Committee believes that the role of the media is more important than ever in the fight against terrorism and that this responsibility must be taken seriously by all concerned……(Telegraph, 10 Nov 08)

Israeli spies linked to murder of Hezbollah chief

Two brothers held in Lebanon as Israeli spies are linked to a team responsible for the assassination of a notorious terrorist leader, Lebanese security sources have claimed.  Ali Jarrah, 50, a Lebanese citizen, and his brother Youssef, from Marj in the Bekaa valley, were arrested last week by the Lebanese army, which charged them with espionage. A third suspect has also been held, sources close to the investigation said. All three face the death penalty.  The spy ring has been linked to the assassination of Imad Mughniyeh, a leading figure in Hezbollah, the Lebanese Shi’ite militia, who was killed in a bomb blast in Damascus in February. Hezbollah’s leader, Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah, blamed Israel for the attack and vowed to take revenge.  Mughniyeh has long been a target for Israel and America. He was responsible for bombing the US marine barracks and embassy in Beirut in 1983, in which more than 350 died, and was behind an attack on the Israeli embassy in Buenos Aires in 1992, which killed 29……(Sunday Times, 9 Nov 08)

Unsung Prosecutor Brought A Shadowy Trade to Justice

Even in death, José Luis Santiago Vasconcelos let someone else grab the limelight.  Vasconcelos, who had quietly dedicated his life to fighting crime and remaking Mexico, was aboard a government Learjet that crashed Tuesday in a spectacular fireball in downtown Mexico City.  Headlines after the crash focused on the death of Juan Camilo Mouriño, 37, the interior minister, head of domestic security and the second most powerful man in Mexico after the president. Miguel Monterrubio, a popular government spokesman who used to work at the embassy in Washington, was also among the 14 people killed and has been widely lauded…….(Washington Post, 8 Nov 08)

More trouble for Army; ATS probes military intelligence

The Maharashtra Anti Terror Squad is widening the scope of its investigations into the army  links in the Malegaon blast. After the arrest of Lieutenant Colonel Purohit in the Malegaon blasts case, the Maharashtra ATS is checking the records of military intelligence personnel in several cities in Maharashtra.
Lt Colonel Purohit was posted to military intelligence in Nasik between 2004 and 2007. The ATS is checking records of military intelligence personnel, including civilians during this period to check if they had any links with the accused in the blasts…….(NDTV, 7 Nov 08)

Shock as top Indian Army officer arrested over bomb attack

The Indian Army has been shocked by the arrest of a senior Military Intelligence officer on suspicion of involvement in a bomb attack by Hindu extremists in western India in September.  Colonel Srikant Prasad Purohit is the first serving officer in India's Army — seen as a bastion of secularism since the country's independence in 1947 — to be arrested on terrorism charges.  His detention is prompting calls for a ban on Hindu nationalist groups accused of stirring political violence, including recent attacks on Christians in eastern India, before national elections next year.   It may also force Indian authorities to investigate whether Hindu radicals were behind other recent bomb attacks, many of which have been blamed on Islamic extremists backed by Pakistan's intelligence service.  Colonel Purohit, 37, was arrested in Bombay on Wednesday on suspicion of involvement in a bomb attack that killed at least six people near a mosque in the western city of Malegaon on September 29……(Times Online, 7 Nov 08)

Saudis on Strike: Pressure for democratic change in the Middle East...

Many people in Washington wrongly suppose that the movement for democracy in the Arab Middle East was a figment, invented by the Bush administration, that failed and will be forgotten once the president leaves office. In fact, the cause existed before George W. Bush took office, and it has slowly been gaining strength, even without recent help from Washington. A small example of that can be found this week in Saudi Arabia, where dozens of intellectuals and human rights activists are engaged in an unprecedented hunger strike.  The strike, which was called for yesterday and today, is meant to support 11 Saudis who have been imprisoned for advocating liberal reforms. They include Matrouk al-Faleh, who was arrested in May for criticizing conditions in Saudi prisons; he was also jailed in 2003 for advocating that the autocratic kingdom become a constitutional monarchy. Nine of the 11 men were arrested in February 2007 and accused of supporting terrorism, and another was jailed last December. Their real crime was calling for political reform -- something at which King Abdullah hinted when he came to power three years ago but has done nothing to advance……(Washington Post, 7 Nov 08)

German Coalition Under Fire for Backing Online Investigation

Germany's Grand Coalition government has reached an agreement on the finer details of the so-called BKA (or "Federal Criminal Police Office") Law. It will allow German security services to monitor suspected civilians more closely, without people knowing that they're being watched.  Significantly, it also gives the Federal Criminal Police for the first time the right to act preventatively, foiling crimes before they happen.  Online espionage has been one of the biggest sticking points during debates in Berlin. Under the new proposal investigations can still monitor online activities secretly using so-called Trojan software, but only if a judge deems that there is good reason to do so.  However, online evidence cannot be used in court if someone's private life were unduly invaded to obtain it. A specially designated data protection agent is to be called in for sensitive cases.  In a compromise with the Social Democrats, this part of the law will only be introduced temporarily. It is to expire in 2020, but be critically re-examined after five years…….(Deutsche Welle, 6 Nov 08)

Czech Milan Kundera denies he denounced Western spy

Czech novelist Milan Kundera made a rare public statement to deny a report that he turned in an anti-Communist spy in 1950, landing the young pilot in uranium mines and prisons for 14 years, archive documents showed.  Kundera, 79, said on Monday the charge was a set-up ahead of the Frankfurt Book Fair this week.  "This is an assassination of an author, with all its consequences," he told news agency CTK. The archive shows a communist police report identifying Kundera as the source of information that led to the arrest of agent Miroslav Dvoracek in March 1950…..(Post Chronicle, 6 Nov 08)

Dutch backpacker defies politics to invest in Iran

Sebastian Straten is going against the flow. As some Western corporations pack up and mothball projects in Iran under pressure of sanctions, the entrepreneurial Dutchman is preparing for the day when tourists flock to the Islamic state.  His guest house business -- a joint venture with an Iranian partner which was dreamed up during a backpacking holiday three years ago -- may be an unlikely embryo for a fortune.  But it serves to highlight the potential opportunities companies in the West are passing up to Asian rivals happy to do business with a country that outgoing U.S. President George W. Bush included in his world view of an "axis of evil."  Straten is developing a small-scale hotels venture in the central city of Yazd, renowned for its labyrinth of lanes between old mudbrick buildings and 'windcatcher' towers designed to cool houses in the desert heat.  He aims to expand to the cities of Isfahan, Shiraz and Qazvin, opening more hotels on the Silk Road, an ancient trade route that linked China with the Middle East and Europe……(Reuters, 5 Nov 08)

Govt to strengthen intelligence network
The serial blasts turned out to be an eye opener for the Government and a decision has been taken to strengthen the intelligence wing of the Police. Meanwhile, appointment of a police Commissioner for Guwahati city may take some time, as “various aspects” will have to be examined by the Government before doing so.  Official sources told The Assam Tribune that the Government might engage a team of experts to suggest measures to strengthen the intelligence wing of the Police. Sources also said that the Government is also examining the possibility of engaging more and more “private informers” to act as force multipliers as only appointment of additional police personnel in the Special Branch of the Assam Police may not serve the purpose to the desired extent. Sources also admitted that frequent transfer of officers and men posted in the Special Branch might turn out to be one of the problems facing the wing and the feasibility of a separate cadre for the branch could also be examined in the days to come if required.  Sources said that a multi-agency intelligence sharing centre is operating involving the Police, Central intelligence agencies and the security forces involved in the counter-insurgency operations……(Assam, 5 Nov 08)

CRPF for separate intelligence wing for anti-Naxal operations

With the CRPF playing an increasing role in anti-Naxal operations, the para-military force is awaiting Centre's nod to set up a separate intelligence wing for the purpose even as it blamed the Chhattisgarh Police for having no intelligence gathering mechanism to combat the menace.  "We have submitted a proposal to the Centre and we are awaiting its response," CRPF Director General V K Joshi said here.  The proposal is pending with the Ministry and a serious thought is being given to allow the CRPF to set up its own intelligence wing, sources said.  The proposal, earlier turned down by Union Finance Ministry for want of funds, was again mooted after the CRPF decided to set up anti-naxal force -- COBRA……(Hindu, 5 Nov 08)

State secretary of Kazakhstan considers that intelligence agencies of Turk language states should accumulate cooperation
Astana. November 5. "Kazakhstan Today" State secretary of Kazakhstan Kanat Saudabayev considers, that intelligence agencies of the Turk language states should accumulate cooperation between each other. Such opinion was expressed today ay opening of the XI session of Conference of intelligence agencies of Turk language states in Astana, agency reports……(Kazakhstan Today, 5 Nov 08)

Armenian intelligence investigate president assassination plot

Armenian intelligence investigates the article on Serzh Sargsyan’s assassination plot published in pro-opposition newspaper Aykakan Jamanak, APA reports quoting Interfax.  Armenian intelligence called Lusine Barsegian, author of article to give testimony. Barsegian wrote quoting Sarkis Apsanian, veteran of Nagorno Karabakh war and living in France at present that several assassinations including bombing of presidential plane planned to be plotted. Apsanian stated that he got information from his friend, teaching at military academy in one of the European countries. He underlined that former President Robert Kocharian and Dashnaktsutyun Party had a hand in the assassination…..(APA, 5 Nov 08)

Lawmakers Impeach Iranian Cabinet Minister

Iran's parliament voted overwhelmingly Tuesday to impeach a cabinet minister who has been a close ally of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, a political setback that reflects growing opposition among lawmakers to the president's policies.  Ahmadinejad faces heavy criticism for his backing of former interior minister Ali Kordan, who was impeached for having falsely claimed to hold an honorary law degree from Oxford University. An aide to Ahmadinejad was fired Sunday for trying to bribe several lawmakers to withdraw their support for the impeachment procedure.  The struggle over Kordan has exposed a growing divide in the parliament between the government's remaining backers and those who are abandoning it. Shifting alliances make it hard to determine the breakdown of support, but Tuesday's vote showed a dwindling of loyalists. Out of 290 deputies, 188 voted for the impeachment of Ahmadinejad's confidant, 45 voted against, 14 abstained and nine didn't vote at all. Thirty-four lawmakers did not show up for the vote……(Washington Post, 5 Nov 08)

Students protest Lennikov deportation

…Students have been rallying to keep fellow student Dmitri Lennikov and his family in Canada. The government wants to deport Dmitri, 17, and his parents because his dad is a former KGB officer.

Under Canadian immigration law, spies or those who were part of a group that engaged in espionage against a democratic government are not eligible for permanent residence unless the public safety minister deems they are not "detrimental" to national interests. The deportation was set for Nov. 14, but the Burnaby NOW has just learned the family can stay longer.  Lawyer Darryl Larson is representing the Lennikovs, and he got word from a senior immigration officer that the family can stay till Feb. 28, 2009. He suspects that's when they will have an answer regarding the ministerial relief application……(Burnaby Now, 5 Nov 08)

Colombia army chief resigns amid scandal

The commander of Colombia's army resigned abruptly Tuesday in a widening scandal over the killing of scores of civilians, allegedly spurred by promotion-seeking officers to inflate rebel body counts.  Gen. Mario Montoya, who won wide acclaim for the bloodless hostage rescue of Ingrid Betancourt and three U.S. military contractors on July 2, did not mention the scandal as a factor in his retirement after 39 years of service...Montoya's resignation follows stinging criticism of an army policy he allegedly encouraged of promoting officers whose units kill the most leftist rebels.  Human rights groups say that policy encouraged soldiers in recent years to kill scores _ perhaps hundreds _ of civilians who were presented as guerrillas slain in combat. Prosecutors say they are investigating more than 90 army officers in such cases… A former far-right warlord has accused Montoya of providing illegal militias with weapons and a CIA memo leaked to the Los Angeles Times says Montoya carried out joint operations with the so-called paramilitaries as a brigade commander in Medellin prior to his promotion……(AP, 4 Nov 08)

Chalabi: Foreigners fund Iraq spy agency

Politician Ahmed Chalabi has accused Iraqi intelligence service of receiving funds from foreign sources, urging a probe into the issue.  "The financial resources of the intelligence service are not referred to in the public budget. From 2004 to 2007 the funds allocated to the intelligence agency had not been mentioned in the annual budget bill. There is even no reference to the intelligence agency in the budget bill," the head of the Iraqi National Congress told al-Hora Iraq TV.  Chalabi, however, reiterated that he was not after the dismissal of the current intelligence chief Mohammad Abdullah Shahwani, because his mandate would end next March…..(PressTV, 4 Nov 08)

Why Bolivia Quit the U.S. War on Drugs

Some may see Bolivia's decision last weekend to opt out of Washington's war on drugs as the inevitable consequence of electing a President who was not only a leftist opponent of U.S. influence in the region but also a coca farmer himself. But President Evo Morales, elected in 2005, cast his decision on Saturday to suspend the activities of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration in his country as a matter of national security. "We have the obligation to defend the dignity and the sovereignty of the Bolivian people," said Morales. "There have been DEA agents who, carrying out espionage, financed rogue groups with the intention of taking the lives of [Bolivian government] officials, though not the President's."  No evidence has been produced to substantiate Morales' allegations, which mark a new escalation in tensions with Washington following September's ouster of U.S. ambassador Philip Goldberg, also accused of conspiring against the leftist government…The details and possible consequences of effectively expelling the DEA are unclear. The U.S. embassy will not reveal the number of DEA officials working in Bolivia, but it's assumed to be several dozen, most of whom work out of the embassy in La Paz training Bolivian antidrug personnel and coordinating intelligence efforts with other South American countries…….(Time Magazine, 4 Nov 08)

Intel official: Afghan agent killed by gunmen

An Afghan intelligence chief says two gunmen on a motorbike have killed an intelligence agent in the southern city of Kandahar.  Mohammad Qayum Katawazai, the intelligence chief in Kandahar, says the gunmen killed the agent Monday night as he was coming out of his home.  Katawazai says the agent was the deputy intelligence chief in charge of Kandahar city.  Taliban militants are extremely active in Kandahar province _ the militia's former spiritual home……(AP, 4 Nov 08)

Scandal, Fistfight Erupt Over Impeachment Move in Iran

A move to impeach an Iranian minister, slated for Tuesday, has flared into a full-blown political scandal after an attempt to bribe lawmakers over the matter led to a fistfight between supporters of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who, in turn, says parliament is out to sabotage his cabinet ahead of elections in June.  Speaking on state television Monday, the president called the impeachment bid "not legal" and "unfair." Ahmadinejad is firmly backing Interior Minister Ali Kordan, who has been accused of dishonesty for falsely claiming to hold an honorary law degree from Oxford University. Kordan says Oxford's representative in Tehran lied to him.  An impeachment of Kordan would push Ahmadinejad close to having to submit his entire cabinet for review by parliament, which is led by one of his chief political opponents. Iran's constitution requires that step if more than half the cabinet ministers are replaced, and Ahmadinejad has replaced nine of 21…..(Washington Post, 4 Nov 08)

Department of Homeland Security calls about Olympic security threat program

I received an interesting call on Friday from the Department of Homeland Security, following two of my recent stories on the plan to scan for chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear threats at the Vancouver 2010 Winter Games. See the first here, and the more detailed one here.  It seems that at least one section of DHS is interested in the newest technology I referred to in the stories…Among the things I wrote about was relatively new “multi-threat-detection” equipment that can scan for and detect up to 37 different toxic or dangerous chemicals, biological hazards and radioactive sources. It  has now become a must-have at many large sporting events and public gatherings. The system I wrote about is produced by MSA Mine Safety Applications and is apparently in place at the White House and debuted at the 2004 Athens Olympics. My sources tell me the federal and provincial governments and Vanoc are looking at either buying, leasing or borrowing such detection equipment for the 2010 Games.  The stories quickly made rounds on the net, including at the NTI Nuclear Threat Initiative (see here and here)  and caught the eye of Homeland Security officials, including Julian Brown, a program manager for a chemical sensing program in the Office of Health Affairs. He says he wants to “compare technologies to what we have or are already working on in research and development.”…..(Vancouver Sun, 4 Nov 08)

South Korea Pushes to Expand Spy Law

Seoul is pushing for new legislation to combat industrial espionage by allies and countries other than North Korea, officials said Monday.  Espionage is currently defined by South Korean law as "spying for enemy states," which in effect bars spying only from North Korea. The government seeks to expand the range of espionage charges to include general information-gathering which benefits other countries, including allies, Justice Ministry officials said…The motion is expected to be submitted to the National Assembly as part of a more comprehensive revision of the Criminal Law by early 2011. South Korea currently punishes spying within the boundaries of the National Security Law, under which pro-North Korea activities warrant a maximum penalty of death…..(Asia News, 3 Nov 08)

Tehran -- with Moscow’s Backing -- Seeks to Expand its Role in the Caucasus

The big winner at the summit among the presidents of Russia, Armenia and Azerbaijan yesterday may be a country was not there: Iran, whose return to an active role in the Caucasus, something the US opposes and the Minsk Group was organized to prevent, now appears to enjoy the active support of both Moscow and Yerevan.

Yesterday, following their meeting in Moscow, Presidents Dmitry Medvedev, Serzh Sarksyan, and Ilham Aliyev signed a joint declaration on their commitment to continuing to pursue “a peaceful regulation” of the Karabakh conflict by means of talks, including within the framework of the Minsk Group.  While Russian commentators celebrated this document not only as a major contribution to the peace in the Caucasus and a confirmation of Russia’s newly expanded role there, in fact, neither that declaration nor the meetings of the foreign ministers on Friday or their joint session with the Minsk Group on Saturday broke much if any new ground.  But a statement by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Friday suggests that the diplomatic landscape in the Caucasus may be changing quickly, albeit in ways that may not lead to any resolution of the conflicts between Armenia and Azerbaijan or between Georgia and the Russian Federation……(Georgian Daily, 3 Nov 08)

Qaddafi Discusses Energy Ties With Russia

Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi, the leader of Libya, visited Moscow over the weekend for talks on oil and natural gas deals, just two months after Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice was his guest in Libya. The visit here suggested that Colonel Qaddafi, a onetime pariah, is maneuvering to play Russia and the United States against each other for commercial and political favors.  During the visit, Colonel Qaddafi pitched a Bedouin tent in a Kremlin garden and invited Prime Minister Vladimir V. Putin for tea.  On Sunday, Colonel Qaddafi flew to Belarus for a meeting with President Aleksandr G. Lukashenko, a leader who supported the colonel during his period of ostracism, visiting Libya in 2000. Colonel Qaddafi was expected to end his first trip to the region since the fall of the Soviet Union with a stop in Ukraine.  Colonel Qaddafi, whom President Ronald Reagan once famously called “the mad dog of the Middle East,” is well on his way to mending ties with the United States and other Western governments after renouncing terrorism and efforts to build weapons of mass destruction. The trip showed he has not closed the door on former East Bloc allies……(New York Times, 2 Nov 08)

Bolivian president suspends US anti-drug efforts

Bolivian President Evo Morales suspended U.S. anti-drug operations on Saturday as Washington's relations with his leftist government spiraled downward.  Morales accused the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration of espionage and funding "criminal groups" trying to undermine his government.  He announced the indefinite suspension while declaring that his government has eradicated more than 12,300 acres of illegally planted coca so far this year _ the minimum required under a 1988 Bolivian law passed under U.S. pressure.  Coca is the raw material for cocaine, but Bolivians use the small green leaf in its less-potent natural form as a traditional tea or for chewing…..(AP, 2 Oct 08)

Fantasist fooled police into believing he was spy

A man who tricked police into believing that he was an MI5 secret agent was jailed for two years.  Michael Newitt, 41, of Osgathorpe, near Loughborough, turned up at Hinckley police station in Leicestershire, announcing himself as “Commander Newitt” from the Metropolitan Police and saying he was involved in a counter-terrorism operation in the county. An officer signed his notebook to acknowledge the confidentiality of his position.  Newitt, a failed businessman, had his car fitted with blue strobe lights and a siren and had used it to arrest a suspected drink-driver on the M6 before handing him over to the police. Newitt’s wife was also taken in, believing him when he said that he was off on a special mission……(Times Online, 1 Nov 08)

October 2008

Ecuador alleges 'clear' signs of CIA infiltration

An Ecuadorean presidential commission has concluded that U.S. intelligence services infiltrated the Andean nation's military and police and supported a cross-border incursion by Colombian troops that killed a top rebel commander.  Following the attack on a Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia camp inside Ecuador on March 1, President Rafael Correa accused the CIA of infiltrating his nation's intelligence services and appointed a commission to investigate.  The body alleged in its report, made public Thursday, that the CIA bought information from Ecuador's military and had prior knowledge of the raid, said Defense Minister Javier Ponce, who read highlights of the findings to reporters….(AP, 31 Oct 08)

Czech weekly refuses to apologize to Milan Kundera

A representative of author Milan Kundera says a Czech weekly has refused to apologize for publishing allegations that he once informed on a Western spy.  The Respekt weekly was given two weeks to apologize in a letter delivered to the publisher Oct. 16.  Jiri Srstka, director of the Dilia agency, which represents Kundera in the Czech Republic, previously said if Respekt does not comply, Kundera will sue…..(AP, 31 Oct 08)

Detectives testify against former top spy in Munir case

Two police detectives testified Thursday at the trial of former State Intelligence Agency (BIN) deputy head Muchdi Purwopranjono, denying pressuring witnesses and manipulating testimonies in the defendant's dossier.

Sr. Comr Pambudi Pamungkas and Comr. Daniel Tifauna were summoned to the trial of Muchdi, charged with the murder of noted human rights campaigner Munir Said Thalib in 2004, to explain the recent denials and retractions of testimonies by several witnesses…..(Jakarta Post, 31 Oct 08)

Intel says Iran plans secret nuclear experiments

Iran has recently tested ways of recovering highly enriched uranium from waste reactor fuel in a covert bid to expand its nuclear program, according to an intelligence assessment made available to The Associated Press.

The intelligence, provided by a member of the 145-nation International Atomic Energy Agency, also says a report will soon be submitted to the Iranian leadership for a decision on whether to go ahead with the project.  The alleged tests loosely replicate Saddam Hussein's attempts to build the bomb nearly two decades ago. But experts question the conclusion by those providing the intelligence that Tehran, too, is trying to reprocess the fuel to make a nuclear weapon…..(AP, 30 Oct 08)

Iran building naval bases up to Strait of Hormuz

Iran has begun building a line of naval bases along its southern coast and up to the Strait of Hormuz at the entrance to the strategic Gulf oil waterway, the Tehran Times quoted an Iranian commander as saying.  Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari said the bases were being built on the Sea of Oman coast from Pasa Bandar, near the Pakistan border, to Bandar Abbas, Iran's major port on the Strait of Hormuz, the English-language newspaper reported on Thursday.  He did not say when work would be completed.  Sayyari this week opened a naval port at Jask, which is also along the Sea of Oman, Iranian media reported……(Reuters, 30 Oct 08)

Spy poison home gets all-clear

The family of a poisoned Russian spy can return to their abandoned home two years after his murder as scientists declared it free of radiation.  Former KGB officer Alexander Litvinenko contaminated the Osier Crescent house in Muswell Hill with radioactive isotope Polonium-210 when he returned there after being poisoned in November 2006…Mr Litvinenko drank Polonium-210 that was slipped into a cup of tea in a West End hotel and he died following a horrific battle against the poison in hospital.  The UK government made a formal request for the extradition of ex-KGB agent Andrei Lugovoi in relation the crime in May 2007 but it was rejected by the Russian authorities and he has always denied any involvement.  The request remains current, but Russia has refused to co-operate saying it would be against its constitution to do so……(Muswell Hill Journal24, 30 Oct 08)

A spymaster’s leaked notes reveal the depth of surveillance in France

FOR nearly 12 years as France’s domestic spy chief, Yves Bertrand filled spiral-bound notebooks with every rumour that came his way about the goings-on of the political elite. They were supposed to be a private aide-mémoire, he says. But this month they became public when extracts were published by Le Point magazine, prompting an outburst of denials, red faces and legal action which has gripped the Paris establishment.

The disclosures so far are relatively coy, yet reveal the deeply pervasive culture of snooping in the country founded on the principle of liberté. Where British tabloids would have splashed intimate details across the front page, the French weekly merely hints at “the bisexuality of a certain minister” or the “tab kept by a former prime minister at a top Paris hotel”. It names only a few figures…French intelligence agents are authorised to snoop not only on those who pose a potential threat to security or public order. Under a 1991 decree they can also monitor more generally those who “play a significant political, economic, social or religious role”, such that information about them could help the government to “appreciate the political, economic or social situation and anticipate its evolution”.   According to the National Commission for Data Protection and Liberties, an official body, the RG alone holds files on a staggering 2.5m people; the real number, says one insider, is even higher. Those who have secured permission to look at their files are sometimes disappointed by the errors. “The problem with these files is not their existence but their quality,” argues Alain Bauer, a security specialist…..(Economist, 30 Oct 08)

France Boosts Spending on Military

The French government decided Wednesday to increase military spending by an average of $1.8 billion a year as part of an effort to field a trimmer but better-equipped army to safeguard France's role in world affairs.

The five-year program, which has been under study since President Nicolas Sarkozy took power in May 2007, was maintained despite a financial crisis that has undermined the already sluggish French economy and led to predictions of budget cutbacks across the government...The defense planning law, which the government's parliamentary majority is likely to pass unaltered, provided for $230 billion through 2014. It listed as priority expenditures the launching of reconnaissance satellites, increasing by 700 the number of intelligence agents and buying antimissile alert systems. In deference to the economic slowdown, however, it mandated holding firm on expenditures for the first three years and then piling the increases into the last two years. Morin acknowledged at a news conference that the delay raised the risk that future governments could cut back on the spending plans in a financial pinch. But he said the overall goals would be maintained, and, if a crisis arose, France's military leadership would understand the need to run out the expenditures over a few more years…..(Washington Post, 30 Oct 08)

Intelligence Warnings by Egyptian Envoy

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak has reportedly made a decision to send Deputy Head of Egyptian Intelligence General Omar Qinawy to Beirut, following reports that the security situation in Lebanon might deteriorate unless Cairo makes a quick move.  The daily al-Akhbar on Tuesday quoted an Egyptian source as saying that "it would have been easy for President Mubarak to send his Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul Gheit to Lebanon. However, he felt that it would be best for those concerned in Lebanon to hear first hand what information Egypt has about the issue."  Concerned Lebanese parties have been calling for a revival of Egypt's political role in Lebanon following an agreement to set up diplomatic relations between Beirut and Damascus, al-Akhbar explained.  The paper stated that General Qinawy will present Hizbullah with "an Egyptian proposal" for the Shiite group to send a high level delegation to Cairo for official talks……(Nahar Net, 29 Oct 08)

Lublin hosts a conference on espionage

“In times of war and peace. Spying as an instrument of state politics”- is the title of the international Polish-Spanish research conference which took place at the John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin on 27 and 28th October 2008.  The goal of the conference is to display the varied forms of intelligence gathering, spying and political espionage as a crucial element of state politics throughout history.  Organizing the conference are the Department of History and Culture of Spanish Speaking Countries; the Juan Velazquez de Velasco Research Institute on Intelligence for Security and Defence from the Charles III University in Madrid; the Spanish-Polish Institute and the Department of Modern History.  The first day of the conference featured a wide variety of scholars specializing in the medieval and renaissance eras, and who lectured on the different forms of spying and intelligence gathering that influenced especially the policies and internal politics of Spain, Italy and Poland.

During the second day of the conference, emphasis was placed upon spy tactics in the XIX and XX century. Topics ranging from the communist infiltration of Polish communities living abroad during the Communist era to the active role of Soviet agents in Latin America during the Cold War, in a comprehensive way explained the secretive and often brutal reality of a world divided between two superpowers and the behind the scenes workings and intrigues of the intelligence communities of East and West......(Polskie Radio, 28 Oct 08)

Iran's Khamenei sees no easing of hatred for US

Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, ahead of the US elections and anniversary of the seizure of the American embassy in Tehran, said on Wednesday that hatred of Washington was deep-seated.  "This conflict goes far beyond having differences over a few political issues," Khamenei told students in a speech, quoted by state television ahead of the 29th anniversary of the 1979 hostage-taking at the embassy.  The supreme guide said his country's "hatred towards the US government is deep-seated because of its plots against the Iranian people over the past 50 years."  Iran holds the United States responsible for a 1953 coup that deposed the administration of its then prime minister Mohammad Mosaddeq and restored the shah.  "Besides, they have not apologized yet and rather keep on their arrogant attitude," he said ahead of the November 3 anniversary of the embassy seizure that the Islamic republic marks with nationwide demonstrations……(AFP, 29 Oct 08)

Civil servant fined £2,500 for leaving secret al-Qaida files on train

A senior civil servant today pleaded guilty to breaching the Official Secrets Act after leaving top-secret documents on a train.  Richard Jackson, 37, of Yateley, Hampshire, was fined £2,500 at City of Westminster magistrates' court after entering his guilty plea.   His case followed an investigation launched in June after highly sensitive Whitehall intelligence files on al-Qaida and Iraq were left on a train from London.  A member of the public found them inside an orange cardboard envelope on a train from Waterloo station to Surrey and passed them on to the BBC security correspondent Frank Gardner.  One of the documents was a seven-page report by the joint intelligence committee entitled Al-Qaida Vulnerabilities.   Classified as top-secret, the intelligence assessment on al-Qaida was so sensitive that every document was numbered and marked "for UK/US/Canadian and Australian eyes only". It is understood the assessment also contained reports on the state of the Islamist terror network in Afghanistan and neighbouring Pakistan.  The document reportedly contained names of individuals or locations that might have been useful to Britain's enemies.  The second document, commissioned from the committee by the Ministry of Defence (MoD), contained an analysis of Iraq's security forces. It included a top-secret and in some places "damning" assessment of Iraq's security forces…….(Guardian, 28 Oct 08)

Civil Servant pleads guilty to leaving top secret documents on train

A senior civil servant is facing jail after pleading guilty today to breaching the Official Secrets Act by leaving top secret intelligence documents on a commuter train.  The highly sensitive files "had the potential to damage national security and and UK international relations," Westminster Magistrates Court heard.  Richard Jackson, a Cabinet Office official, admitted failing to take due care of the documents, which he left on a train from Waterloo station on his way home to Yateley, Hampshire, in June.  The documents were found inside an envelope by a passenger who handed them over to the BBC Security Correspondent, Frank Gardner. He then turned them in to police.  The court heard that one of the documents was marked 'top secret', while the other had a mid-range classification. It is believed that the most secret document was a report about the threat posed by al-Qaeda in Afghanistan and Pakistan. The other is thought to be a highly critical British assessment of the Iraqi security forces……(Times Online, 28 Oct 08)

Iran 'opens naval base' near Gulf

Iran has opened new naval facilities east of the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow entrance to the Gulf which is key to oil supplies, state media say.  Naval chief Admiral Habibollah Sayyari was quoted as saying the base in the town of Jask would enable Iran to block the entry of an "enemy" into the Gulf.

Iran has threatened to close the strait in response to a potential military strike over its nuclear activities.  It denies claims by Western powers that it is seeking a nuclear bomb…..(BBC, 28 Oct 08)

N Korean soldier defects to South Korea through DMZ

A North Korean soldier has defected to South Korea through the heavily fortified border dividing the two countries, an official from the South's spy agency said Tuesday, in only the second such defection in a decade.

Meanwhile, North Korea warned it would turn South Korea into "debris" and break off all relations if Seoul does not halt "confrontational" activities against the communist country. The threat comes a day after military officers held brief talks at the border, their second official contact since the North broke off inter-Korean relations in February…The North Korean defector was being investigated, a National Intelligence Service official said, declining to identify his name, rank and the date of his defection.  The soldier recently approached a South Korean guard post in a central part of the Demilitarized Zone asking for asylum in the South…..(AP, 28 Oct 08)

Germany extends EU welcome to Uzbek spy chief

Germany last week hosted Uzbekistan's powerful security chief, Rustam Inoyatov, despite his links to the 2005 Andijan massacre and the jailing, also last week, of a prominent human rights activist.  Mr Inoyatov flew to Germany on 23 October for official business as part of a delegation from Uzbekistan's National Security Service (SNB), and was still in Germany on 25 October. His trip was confirmed by NGOs Human Rights Watch and the Open Society Institute. The German interior ministry - responsible for security - denied holding any meetings with the SNB chief. The German embassy in Tashkent and the German secret service, the BND, declined to comment.……(EU Observer, 28 Oct 08)

Report: Iranian president has fallen ill

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has fallen ill due to his heavy workload, a close associate told the Iranian state news agency late Saturday, as doubts surface about whether he will run for another term.  Parliament member Mohammad Ismail Kowsari, an ally of the president, told IRNA that Ahmadinejad is feeling under the weather because of the strain of his position.  "The president will eventually get well and continue his job," said Kowsari, who last September accompanied the president on his trip to the U.N. General Assembly. "Every human being can face exhaustion under such a workload."  The Iranian president reportedly works a 20-hour day. Kowsari accused his opponents of using Ahmadinejad's exhaustion as an excuse to spread rumors about whether he will run for a second term in the June 2009 elections……(Guardian, 27 Oct 08)

Experts: Israel lacks capability to hit Iran's nuke facilities

Western intelligence experts believe that Iran's nuclear facilities are so deep underground that it would be difficult for Israel to wipe them out, or even significantly damage them with an air strike, according to an article which will be published by American weekly Newsweek next Monday.  The magazine's Periscope section quotes a "Western official" as saying that in order to seriously setback Iran's nuclear program, at least four of its key development sites would have to be hit, but they are located in tunnels fortified by barriers more than 60 feet thick.  According to the official and other US experts, Israel simply does not possess conventional weapons capable of decommissioning these facilities, since breaking through the thick shell would require, at minimum, several bunker-buster bombs striking precisely the same spot……(YNet, 27 Oct 08)

Intelligence gaps blamed for fatal Afghan gunfight

Australian troops lacked crucial intelligence that could have prevented them killing a key Afghan ally in a chaotic gunfight, an official inquiry has revealed.  The inquiry exposes basic flaws in intelligence sharing among foreign coalition forces, and in the co-operation between them and their Afghan allies.  Vital information was not revealed at a meeting specifically designed to prevent so-called "friendly fire" incidents. The inquiry report spells out a series of failures that proved fatal on the night Australian special forces on a secret operation were fired on by Afghans who thought the Australians were Taliban fighters.  The Australians, having been told no "friendly" forces were in the area, believed they were under Taliban attack…..(Age, 26 Oct 08)

Mandelson named in spy files on oligarch

Business secretary Lord Mandelson's relationship with the Russian oligarch at the centre of the "yachtgate" scandal is detailed in secret government intelligence files, the Evening Standard can reveal.  A source has told the Standard that Lord Mandelson's name features repeatedly in files held on Oleg Deripaska. The revelation will strengthen demands for Lord Mandelson to disclose all meetings and dealings with Mr Deripaska, Russia's richest man.  The references to Lord Mandelson appear in files contained on a massive, covert joint intelligence database called Scope. Scope allows Mi5, Mi6, GCHQ and the Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre to communicate with each other more quickly and securely than before. It enables the agencies to call up the latest intelligence within 15 minutes……(This is London, 24 Oct 08)

Colombia spy chief quits; agency spied on senator

Colombia's director of domestic intelligence resigned Thursday after her agency was caught spying on a prominent political opponent of President Alvaro Uribe.  Maria del Pilar Hurtado called her resignation after 14 months as head of the Administrative Department of Security, or DAS, "an act of dignity" in a statement she read to reporters. She did not take questions.  Hurtado said neither she nor Uribe ordered the surveillance of Sen. Gustavo Petro, a member of the leftist Polo Democratico party and a key figure in efforts to uncover ties between political allies of the president and far-right death squads.  Hurtado's resignation comes two days after Petro said he anonymously received two incriminating memos signed by her intelligence chief that ordered regional DAS offices to investigate the senator and his party. Hurtado fired the intelligence official on Wednesday……(AP, 23 Oct 08)

EU formally renews ties with Cuba

The EU and Cuba have formally restored ties, five years after the EU imposed diplomatic sanctions on the island following mass arrests of dissidents.  European Commissioner Louis Michel said the accord he signed with Cuban Foreign Minister Felipe Perez Roque was "a turning point for EU-Cuban relations".  Mr Perez Roque welcomed its respect for the island's political independence.  It will now receive 2m euros ($2.6m) of emergency hurricane recovery aid, with 30m euros ($38.9m) available next year.  An EU delegation will return to Cuba in November to determine the needs and priorities for the financing to be made available in 2009….(BBC, 24 Oct 08)

Iran bank denies weapons charges by US Treasury

The Export Development Bank of Iran (EDBI) denied on Thursday U.S. Treasury charges it was a proliferator of weapons of mass destruction and said Washington had taken the step to try to cover up its own economic woes.

The U.S. Treasury Department named the bank a proliferator on Wednesday. Once branded as such, all transactions between an organization and Americans are banned and any assets that the company has within U.S. jurisdiction can be seized.  The United States has targeted several big Iranian state banks with sanctions, namely Bank Mellat, Bank Melli, Bank Sedarat and Bank Sepah, in a bid to isolate Iran for its nuclear work that Washington says is designed to build bombs. Tehran denies the charge.  Iranian officials have brushed off the impact of such steps. But analysts say the measures are pushing up costs of doing business for Iranian firms, particularly as Western banks have been cutting back or shutting down business links to Iran.  "The bank will file a complaint with relevant authorities in order to preserve its rights against the U.S. Treasury for its interventionist measure,"…..(Khaleej Times, 24 Oct 08)

Key Israel party spurns coalition

The religious Shas party says it will not join the coalition Tzipi Livni is trying to form, in a major setback for the would-be Israeli Prime Minister.  Ms Livni, head of Kadima, the largest party, said on Thursday Israel would face elections if she had not formed a government by Sunday.  She has the support of the Labor party but is still short of a majority.  Correspondents say the move is a blow to Ms Livni, but she may still be able to form a minority government.  The ultra-orthodox Shas party said it had decided not to continue negotiations with Kadima…..(BBC, 24 Oct 08)

How Cuba's Oil Find Could Change the US Embargo

…a few years ago when geologists estimated that between 5 billion bbl. and 10 billion bbl. of oil lie beneath the waters off Cuba's northwest coast. Suddenly it seemed as though the hemisphere's sole communist nation might finally end its desperate dependence on oil-rich allies like the former Soviet Union and Venezuela — and perhaps even escape its impoverished economic time warp altogether…The oil discovery has renewed debate over whether a crude-thirsty U.S. should loosen its 46-year-old trade embargo against Cuba and let yanqui firms join the drilling, which is taking place fewer than 100 miles off U.S. shores. Despite the Bush Administration's hard line on Cuba, Republicans in Congress have proposed legislation to exempt Big Oil from the embargo…..(Time Magazine, 23 Oct 08)

Court order over EU terror list

Europe's governments were ordered by a court to follow the UK's lead and take Iran's main opposition group off a blacklist of suspected terror organizations.  The European Court of First Instance in Luxembourg upheld a legal claim by the exiled People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI) that there is no justification for including the group and freezing its funds.  The ruling is the latest in a series of verdicts supporting the PMOI's demands to be removed from the list - but the battle is not over.  The case was an appeal against a decision by the EU's Council of Ministers last December to keep the PMOI on its terror list.  That decision came just weeks after the UK's own independent judicial authority, the Proscribed Organizations Appeal Commission (POAC) ordered the PMOI's removal from the UK list. But the PMOI stayed on the UK list until June this year - and still remains on the EU list after a review in July……(UK Press, 23 Oct 08)

U.S. Pressed by U.K. to Turn Over Detainee Papers

The British High Court yesterday condemned the U.S. government's failure to turn over intelligence documents that could support the claims of a British resident held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, who has argued that statements he made confessing to terrorism resulted from torture and are, therefore, worthless.  In a judgment, the British jurists hinted that unless the 42 documents are handed over quickly to the defense counsel as part of a habeas corpus proceeding in U.S. District Court, the London court might take that step itself, despite the threat of damage to ties between the two countries.  The court noted that the United States has said "it will reconsider the intelligence relationship with its oldest and closest ally if we, as a court in England and Wales, order the documents be provided . . . to enable justice to be done."…..(Washington Post, 23 Oct 08)

Trades Hall cleaner 'a spy'

The Victorian Trades Hall Council sacked a live-in caretaker because it suspected he was an Australian Government intelligence agent.  The caretaker, using the name Robert Dunwoodie, had access to every office in the Trades Hall building in Carlton while he lived and worked there in 2002.  At that time, various groups connected to Trades Hall were campaigning against the Howard government's decision to commit Australian troops to a US-led invasion of Iraq.  Doubts about Mr Dunwoodie's identity surfaced that year when a visiting activist from East Timor told senior Trades Hall officials that he recognized the man as a federal intelligence officer who had been working at the Australian embassy in Dili.  Mr Dunwoodie was dismissed from his job after senior Trades Hall officials made inquiries into his background…t is a policy of agencies such as the Australian Security Intelligence Organization and the Australian Secret Intelligence Service not to discuss publicly operations or the identities of agents. Trades Hall has been a regular target of covert operations by law enforcement and intelligence agencies……(Age, 23 Oct 08)

Former spy chief’s trial adjourned

The special military appellate court constituted for the trial of Asadullah Sarwari, spy chief during the communist era and convicted of 18 years imprisonment was adjourned for Wednesday. 67-year-old Sarwari arrested for crimes including serial killing committed in the late 1970s as well as attempting to orchestrate a coup against Mujahideen government was sentenced to 18 years jail term during his initial trial. The court decision was unacceptable to Sarwari, his attorney and relatives of the victims killed and abducted during communist regime. Sarwari had demanded appeal court however relatives of the victims demanded a more strict hearing against the former spy agency head who they said brutally killed members of their family. Former head of communist era spy agency during Noor Muhammad Taraki regime rejected the charges on him and termed the court verdict a cruelty. During Sarwari's year-long tenure as intelligence chief under the communist government that came to power in a 1978 coup, thousands of people were arrested and subsequently disappeared. Educators, religious leaders and political opponents were targeted as the communists attempted to consolidate their control of the country. Lt. Gen Abdul Khalid Halim headed the court on Tuesday while Col Hedayatullah was reading out the complaints, said Mojaddedi families, a prominent Afghan religious clan, living in Kabul, Ghazni, Canada, Germany, Netherlands, Logar province and a number of other provinces had complained Sarwari had killed members of their families under different names against the then regime. Hazara tribes had also complained that over hundred innocent members of their families were killed by Sarwari, he added…..(Frontier Post, 23 Oct 08)

Reform of Pakistan's spy agency crucial

The fate of the U.S.-led war in Afghanistan and of stability in this neighboring country may depend to a great extent on efforts to reform Pakistan's controversial spy agency, known in the past for "hunting with the hounds and running with the hares."   U.S. officials have long criticized Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) for a dual policy of cracking down on Islamist militancy while supporting militant groups in Afghanistan and Kashmir and allowing al Qaeda and the Taliban to maintain sanctuaries in tribal areas along the Afghan-Pakistani border.  Some U.S. intelligence officials have charged that the ISI was behind the July bombing of the Indian Embassy in Kabul, which killed 58 people and wounded 141. A failed attempt by Pakistan's new civilian government to bring the agency under the authority of the Interior Ministry later that month is cited as another sign of the agency's intransigence.  However, some analysts say the ISI's reputation as a rogue operation has been exaggerated.…..((Washington Times, 23 Oct 08)

West Bank intelligence boss moved

Head of intelligence in the West Bank Tawfiq Tirawi has been removed from his post and appointed as an adviser to Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas.  No reason was given, but officials denied it had anything to do with pressure from Egypt, which is mediating between rival factions Fatah and Hamas.  Mr Tirawi is a powerful opponent of Hamas and had a key role in countering its influence in the West Bank. He was replaced by his deputy, Gen Dheib Mansour…..(BBC, 22 Oct 08)

The perils of intelligence sharing

Commissions of inquiry into national security matters in Canada used to be held in a stately procession, with goodly periods of quiet time between each. Thus, we had the 1946 royal commission into Igor Gouzenko's evidence of Soviet spies in Canada, followed by the Mackenzie inquiry of the late 1960s into the Cold War security sector, followed by the epic McDonald commission into the improprieties of the RCMP Security Service in its battle with the FLQ that ultimately gave birth to a civilian intelligence service (CSIS) in 1984 and a new era of accountability. The mere decade that separated Mackenzie from McDonald seemed a rush for a country unused to gazing at its secret navel. Since 9/11, the pace has changed dramatically. First came Mr. Justice Dennis O'Connor's 2006 report into the role that Canadian officials played in the rendition of Maher Arar to Syria to face torture. On the back of that report now comes its sequel, retired Supreme Court justice Frank Iacobucci's report into the parallel question of the Canadian role in the detention and torture of three Canadians in Syria and Egypt.

The public concern that underlies both inquiries is whether Canadian intelligence, security and Foreign Affairs officials have so lost their way in the "war on terror" that they have systematically and deliberately engaged in practices that are repugnant to democratic values. It's an important concern, enough to throw the old stately procession out the window……(Globe & Mail, 22 Oct 08)

Czech author wants spy charge apology from paper

Milan Kundera, the author of "The Unbearable Lightness of Being," has demanded that a Czech weekly apologize for publishing allegations that he once informed on a purported Western spy, his representative said Wednesday.

The Respekt weekly was given two weeks to apologize in a letter delivered to the publisher Oct. 16, said Jiri Srstka, the director of the Dilia agency, which represents Kundera in the Cz