June 2008

U.S. fights asylum for S. Korean ex-spy

A former South Korean intelligence agent living in the Harrisburg area who said he helped expose secret payments by his country to North Korea before a 2000 summit is facing a fight to stay here. Attorneys for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security have appealed the political asylum given to Kim Ki-sam by a Philadelphia judge in April. The Board of Immigration Appeals in Falls Church, Va., will review the asylum grant, a process that could take more than a year… Kim, 44, has said for the past five years that the South Korean government is after him. He said he became a target after bringing to light allegations that his government paid off North Korean officials before the summit. ….(Patriot News, 30 Jun 08)

Iran Sentences Man to Death For Spying For Israel

…Iranian media identified Ali Ashtari as the manager of a company selling communications and security equipment to Iran's government. He was accused of "engaging in espionage for (Israel's) Mossad intelligence service," the ISNA news agency said. He had confessed and asked for clemency……(Reuters, 30 Jun 08)

Iranian gets death for Israel spying

…Ali Ashtari, a 45-year-old salesman of electronic merchandise, had a job supplying military, security and defense centers across the country with electronic devices, according to the web site of Iranian state TV. The web site quoted an unnamed intelligence official as saying Ashtari ''relayed sensitive information on military, defense and research centers'' to Israeli intelligence officers. Iranian state media, considered mouthpieces for the government, customarily cite officials without identifying them by name… Ashtari, who was arrested in 2007, tried to ''create a link'' between Iranian experts and Israeli agents, the unnamed Iranian official said, according to state media……(AP, 30 Jun 08)

New light on an old murder - Markov

When Georgi Markov, a Bulgarian émigré broadcaster, was murdered in London in 1978, few could have suspected that Communist rule in his country would collapse a decade or so later. But Bulgaria’s democratic rulers proved unable to help solve one of Britain’s most spectacular political murders. Key files were inexplicably destroyed; two senior officials died mysteriously. Though the cause of death—a pellet laden with a fatal poison, ricin, supposedly poked in with an umbrella—had long been known, the trail to those who ordered the killing seemed to have gone cold…The Bulgarian authorities could obstruct the Markov investigation until after September 11th, the 30th anniversary of the murder, when the statute of limitations kicks in. But racing against time to find clues in heavily weeded archives in Sofia is unnecessary if the whole story is available elsewhere. Whether or not the Soviet KGB ordered Markov’s murder, their close Bulgarian allies would certainly have shared details of such a risky operation. Bulgaria asked Russia to declassify its Markov files in 1991 but did not pursue it……(Economist, 27 Jun 08)

Pakistani militants execute 2 alleged spies

Pakistani militants publicly executed two Afghans before thousands of cheering supporters Friday, saying the men spied for U.S. forces and helped orchestrate a suspected U.S. missile strike that killed 14 people last month. The brazenness of the execution, in which one man was decapitated and the other shot in front of 5,000 people in the Bajur region, underscored the power of the local Taliban forces in the lawless tribal areas near the Afghan border…Taliban militants wielding daggers then stabbed one of the men, identified as Jan Wali 36, cut off his head and waved it to the crowd. The militants then argued over how to kill the other man, before one lost patience and shot him with his assault rifle. The crowd erupted in cheers of "God is great," and gunmen shot in the air in jubilation……(AP, 27 Jun 08)

US spy shifted to Central Prison Mianwali

US spy along with his alleged friend were shifted to Central Prison Mianwali from Lahore after necessary investigation. During the investigation on tip off the friend of US spy, Syed Zubair Shah of Chashtian was arrested by law enforcement agencies and shifted to Lahore. A US spy Simon Narvon was arrested from Sarai Mahajir, district Bhakhar and his friend Dr Abdul Qayum was arrested on the information received from Simon Narvon……(Sindh Today, 25 Jun 08)

Rosenberg Case Materials Are Closer to Publication

The trial of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, that touchstone of atomic espionage, is a case that launched a thousand doctorates and enough historical texts to make a library groan. Now, however, the 50-year-old record may grow even more complex: on Monday, the federal government, in an unusual move, consented to release most of the secret grand jury testimony taken in the case. In papers filed in Federal District Court in Manhattan, prosecutors said that they would not oppose the release of testimony from 35 of the 45 witnesses who appeared before the grand jury in New York in 1950 and 1951… The Rosenberg case began in 1945 when a Soviet cipher clerk named Igor Gouzenko defected to the West and stunned intelligence officials by revealing that the Russians were engaged in extensive espionage on their former wartime allies. A spy ring was exposed, and the Rosenbergs were accused of being members. On June 19, 1953, after the appeals of their convictions were denied, they were put to death in the electric chair at Sing Sing. This February, the National Security Archives, a nonprofit group at George Washington University, led a group of petitioners asking that the grand jury minutes in the case, sealed for more than 50 years, finally be released. Grand jury testimony is prized by historians for its scope and candor and is particularly revealing because the questions are broad and open-ended, and the answers are often unrehearsed and not subject to the cautions of a lawyer……(New York Times, 25 Jun 08)

Prosecutors OK release of Rosenberg testimony

In a surprise decision, federal prosecutors say they would not object to the release of secret grand jury testimony from 35 of the 45 witnesses in the spy trial of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg.  In papers filed in Manhattan federal court on Monday, the prosecutors said they would consent to publish the testimony of deceased witnesses or those who have agreed to have their testimony published. Ten witnesses are either still alive or have not given their consent.  A hearing is scheduled for July 22….(AP, 25 Jun 08)

Rosenberg grand jury material closer to release

Federal prosecutors have agreed to make public some secret testimony about the biggest spy case of the Cold War. The government took the unusual position Monday as leading historical groups press for the release of grand jury transcripts in the criminal investigation of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg. Following their 1951 espionage trial for passing atomic secrets to the Soviet Union, the husband and wife were executed in 1953. The Rosenberg case has significant historical importance that qualifies it for an exception to grand jury secrecy rules, the office of the U.S. attorney for the southern district of New York City said in court papers……(AP, 24 Jun 08)

Defendant in Venezuelan Suitcase Plot Challenges Law

A Venezuelan businessman accused of acting in the U.S. as an unregistered foreign agent asked a federal judge to dismiss his indictment on the grounds that the law is unconstitutionally vague. Franklin Duran is accused of conspiring to silence Florida businessman Guido Alejandro Antonini Wilson, who carried $800,000 in a suitcase at the center of an Argentine election scandal. On Aug. 4, Antonini flew from Caracas to Buenos Aires, where the valise was seized. Prosecutors say the cash was intended for the campaign of Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, who was elected president of Argentina on Oct. 28. The Venezuelan government provided the cash and its intelligence agency directed a coverup of its source and intended recipient...Duran, who faces a Sept. 2 trial, was charged Dec. 11 with four other South American men accused of acting as unregistered agents of the Venezuelan government. Four were arrested that day, and three pleaded guilty, implicating the Venezuelan intelligence agency in a plot to coerce Antonini to cover up the source and intended recipient of the cash. One man is a fugitive….(Sun-Sentinel, 24 Jun 08)

The New York Times "Covers" the Susan Lindauer Hearing

…The most recent example is the New York Times' coverage of the competency hearing on June 17, 2008 in the Susan Lindauer versus the United States in the Federal District Court, Southern District of New York, in lower Manhattan. Antiwar Activist Returns to Court for Iraq Spy Case, Alan Feuer, New York Times, June 18, 2008.

The headline betrays the first major problem with the New York Times coverage. Susan Lindauer has claimed all along that she was an anti-war and anti-sanctions activist as well as a U.S. asset. However, no one who has read the indictment or the informed coverage would refer to Lindauer as an accused "spy." She is charged with being an "unregistered foreign agent." The "high water mark" of the indictment, as Judge Mukasey called it, is the charge that Lindauer attempted to influence U.S. policy on behalf of pre-war Iraq through the delivery of this January 2003 letter to Andrew Card, then chief of staff for President Bush, and Colin Powell, then secretary of state……(Scoop, 24 Jun 08)

Court Narrows Scope of Appeal in Rosen/Weissman AIPAC Case

A federal appeals court handling the case of two former employees of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) who are charged with unlawful handling of classified information last week granted a defense motion to limit the scope of a pending prosecution appeal. In March, a lower court had issued a sealed 278-page court order identifying what classified information may be disclosed, summarized or withheld at the forthcoming trial of the AIPAC defendants. The government appealed the order in advance of the trial, as it is entitled to do. But at the same time it also attempted to appeal several other prior court orders that it regarded as unfavorable including two 2006 orders that defined the government’s burden of proof and another court opinion that limited the use of secret, non-public evidence. Defense attorneys objected to the reopening of prior court rulings, and the appeals court concurred with them in a June 20 decision. A government brief on the surviving portion of the appeal will be due on July 25…..(FAS, 23 Jun 08)

AJC Applauds Court Decision to Keep AIPAC Trial Open

The American Jewish Committee (AJC) applauded the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals ruling today upholding the decision of Judge Thomas Ellis III to keep the trial of two former AIPAC staff open to the public… Steve Rosen and Keith Weissman were indicted in 2005, accused of illegally passing on classified information in violation of the 1917 Espionage Act. That statute has never been used to prosecute private citizens….(American Jewish Committee, 20 Jun 08)

Taiwan claims to have arrested Chinese spy - Colonel Wang Hui-hsien

Taiwan has arrested a retired Taiwan military officer who has been selling military secrets to China, local press reported Friday. Colonel Wang Hui-hsien, 42, a former member of the Military Intelligence Bureau (MIB), was detained early Friday after being questioned by prosecutors of the Taiwan High Court, the Central News Agency and the United Daily News reported. Wang was a section chief in MIB in charge of analyzing intelligence on China. He retired six years ago and went to China to do business and was allegedly recruited by national security agents in Shanghai to spy for China. Wang leaked information to China about deployment of MIB spies in China. When he returned to Taiwan in 2005, he tried to recruit fellow retired MIB members to spy for China, inviting them to meals and discussing working for China……(DPA, 20 Jun 08)

British detectives hunt for Cold War umbrella killer

…British detectives acknowledged Friday that they had questioned suspects in the 1978 death of Bulgarian dissident Georgi Markov. The playwright and broadcaster was a stern critic of his country's communist regime in reports for the British Broadcasting Corp. and Radio Free Europe. Markov was jabbed in the thigh with an umbrella tip as he waited for a bus on London's Waterloo Bridge. He developed a fever and died three days later. British government scientists later discovered the umbrella had been used to inject a pinhead-sized pellet of the poison ricin into Markov's leg.  Though no one has ever been charged with the killing, many suspected the KGB and Bulgarian secret police of involvement. KGB defector Oleg Gordievsky has previously claimed that Russian authorities offered help to Bulgaria for the murder plot.  The case remained one of the most remarkable espionage related deaths in London until the killing of ex-Russian security agent Alexander Litvinenko in November 2006…..(AP, 20 Jun 08)

Poison-tip umbrella assassination of Georgi Markov reinvestigated

…On a September evening in London in 1978, Markov, a prize-winning Bulgarian author and BBC broadcaster who had been classified as a "non person" by the communist authorities, was waiting alongside commuters for a bus on Waterloo Bridge when he felt a stinging pain in his thigh. A heavily built stranger dropped an umbrella, mumbled "sorry" and fled in a taxi. Markov thought little of the seemingly trivial incident and continued his journey home; he was dead of a high fever in three days and was later buried in Dorset. The James Bond-style murder weapon was an umbrella, partly developed by the Soviet KGB, which fired a pellet the size of a pinhead, containing the poison ricin…The present Bulgarian government intends to wash its hands of the case on September 11, 2008, by invoking its legal code's statute of limitations, which closes the book on all unsolved, or unpunished, crimes after 30 years….(Telegraph, 20 Jun 08)

Tables Turned: Defendant Demands Trial, Prosecutors Seek to Avoid It

A defendant accused of being an agent for Saddam Hussein avoided a trial two years ago because of a ruling made by a judge who is now U.S. attorney general. Now the accused woman is demanding a trial while prosecutors argue she is unfit because of mental illness. Michael Mukasey, in one of his final rulings as a federal judge, refused in 2006 to order the forced medication of the defendant, Susan Lindauer, to make her competent to stand trial, the New York Sun reports. The indictment was never withdrawn, however, and now Lindauer wants a trial. Prosecutors, on the other hand, told a federal judge yesterday that eight reviewing doctors had found the defendant suffers from a mental illness. “The result is a strange case of role reversal between prosecutors and defense lawyers,”….(ABA Journal, 18 Jun 08)

Antiwar Activist Returns to Court for Iraq Spy Case

…The woman, Susan P. Lindauer, was taken into custody in March 2004 and charged with acting as an unregistered agent of Saddam Hussein’s government under an indictment in Manhattan. She was accused of meeting repeatedly with Iraqi intelligence officers starting in 1999, including once at the Al Rashid Hotel in Baghdad, where prosecutors say she received $5,000 from Iraqi agents…The hearing in Federal District Court on Tuesday was not completed, however, and was scheduled to resume on July 7. Two witnesses spoke on behalf of Ms. Lindauer, delivering suggestively odd testimony about her involvement in investigating the bombing of Pan American Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, and her attendance at a regular Thursday dinner at a Chinese restaurant near Capitol Hill often frequented by Congressional staff aides and members of the intelligence community…..(New York Times, 18 Jun 08)

Mukasey Oversees Role Reversal of Prosecutors, Defense

In one of his final rulings as a judge, Michael Mukasey questioned Justice Department efforts to prosecute a delusional woman who was accused of serving as an agent for Saddam Hussein. Judging the woman harmless, he refused to force her to take the antipsychotic drugs that might have made her sane enough to stand trial. That 2006 decision ended the prospect of a trial, and the government's case against the woman, Susan Lindauer, appeared to have come to an end. Not so. The case is back the hands of Mr. Mukasey, who is now the attorney general. His Justice Department is grappling with how to respond to a bizarre twist in the case: Ms. Lindauer is demanding to be tried, even though Judge Mukasey had basically let her off the hook back in 2006…It is not exactly clear why Ms. Lindauer, 44, a former journalist and congressional staffer, is seeking to be tried, given that Mr. Mukasey, as a judge, ruled against a trial. Defendants often seek to be declared unfit to stand trial, which heads off the prospect of a guilty verdict, and routinely have their motions denied. Lawyers say it is unheard of for a defendant who has been found mentally ill, as Ms. Lindauer has, to go to court and demand a trial.……(New York Sun, 18 Jun 08)

American Accused of Spying for Iraq Faces Court

The hearing for a Maryland woman accused of acting as an unregistered agent for the Iraqi Intelligence Service began yesterday at the U.S. District Court in Manhattan. Ex-journalist and self-proclaimed anti-war activist Susan Lindauer, 48, was arrested in 2004 on charges of accepting $10,000 from the Iraqi government in 2002, according to the Center for Counterintelligence Web site. A reporter and a professor who have known Lindauer since the early 90s testified at Lindauer's hearing today. They reported that she was close to individuals in intelligence circles. She allegedly met with an undercover FBI agent who was posing as a representative of the Libyan intelligence service and was seeking to support resistance groups fighting U.S. forces in post-war Iraq, according to the Center for Counterintelligence Web site. Lindauer worked as a press secretary for several Democratic senators and representatives before she became a reporter. Parke Godfrey, an assistant professor at Toronto's York University, met Lindauer in the fall of 1900. He called her a "mercurial" character, at times highly enthusiastic about her work, at other times depressed. Godfrey said that before 9/11, Lindauer warned him not to take a job in New York City because she had a "premonition" that the city would be "dangerous, that there would be a big attack in southern Manhattan." He also said that Lindauer predicted a "war went very badly," referring to a protracted war in the Middle East……(Epoch, 18 Jun 08)

Alleged Iraq spy in court

The mental stability of a former journalist and Congressional aide accused of acting as an agent for the Iraqi government was called into question — not for the first time — at a pretrial hearing in lower Manhattan yesterday. Federal prosecutors made multiple references to psychiatric evaluations of Susan Lindauer that allegedly deemed her mentally unsound…The hearing hardly addressed the U.S. government’s indictment, which alleges that Lindauer, acting as an agent for Iraq between 1999 and 2004, met with Iraqi Intelligence Service officers in Manhattan, accepted thousands of dollars from the Iraqi government agents and even traveled to Baghdad….(New York Metro, 18 Jun 08)

911 Prediction Revealed at Lindauer Hearing in NYC

A surprise development occurred at today's hearing in the case of Susan Lindauer versus the United States. A long time associate of the accused, associate professor of computer science at Toronto's York University, Parke Godfrey, Ph.D., testified that Susan Lindauer predicted an attack on the United States in the southern part of Manhattan. According to his testimony, she said that the attack would be very similar to the 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center. Godfrey said that Lindauer made the prediction on several occasions, one as late as August 2001. The testimony occurred in a hearing on Lindauer's competence to stand trial held before U.S. District Court Judge Loretta Preska, Southern District of New York, in lower Manhattan. On March 11, 2004, Lindauer was arrested for acting as an "unregistered agent" for the nation of Iraq prior to the U.S. invasion. Prosecutors have delayed the trial for over four years claiming Lindauer was delusional for asserting that she was a U.S. intelligence asset over a period of nine years, including the period covered by the indictment…….(Scoop, 18 Jun 08)

Feds made me do it, sez Iraq spy suspect

Accused spy Susan Lindauer wants to convince a Manhattan federal jury that the American government put her up to snooping on Iraq. "Every single thing I did was supervised by the Americans," Lindauer told reporters after a competency hearing Tuesday in Manhattan Federal Court. "I am horrified that I have been left out to dry."

Before he stepped down as a judge, Attorney General Michael Mukasey declared the former reporter and Democratic aide mentally unfit to stand trial on charges she conspired to act as a spy for the Iraqi Intelligence Service…..(New York Daily, 17 Jun 08)

Woman seeks NYC trial in Iraqi spy case

A woman accused of helping an Iraqi spy agency under Saddam Hussein said Tuesday she wants to prove she was supervised by U.S. authorities, but first she'll have to overcome findings that she is mentally unfit for trial.

Susan Lindauer, a former congressional aide and journalist whose father once was Alaska's Republican nominee for governor, said outside court that she wanted a trial "to clear my name." Lindauer is charged with conspiring to act as a spy for the Iraqi Intelligence Service and engaging in banned financial transactions. She spoke after the start of a hearing on whether she can stand trial despite mental health professionals' findings that she suffers from delusions of grandiosity and paranoia. "The accusations are bogus,"…..(AP, 17 Jun 08)

Former Boeing scientist charged in defense probe

A former Boeing Co. scientist who specialized in anti-missile systems plans to plead guilty to unlawfully retaining national defense information, his attorney said. Abraham Lesnik, 68, was charged Monday, nearly two years after a federal investigation into whether he misused classified information, prosecutors said. He could receive up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine if convicted. Lesnik appeared in court, where U.S. Magistrate judge set his bail at $150,000, Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Zweiback said. A trial date was set for Aug. 12, but Lesnik's attorney, Marc Harris, said his client will plead guilty. U.S. Attorney's Office spokesman Thom Mrozek said most of the case was under seal. A charging document alleges Lesnik had unauthorized possession of 10 classified documents and one "top secret" document "pertaining to national defense satellite threat mitigation."….(AP, 17 Jun 08)

Boeing Scientist Charged with Mishandling Govt Info

A former Boeing scientist who specialized in anti-missile systems for aircrafts was charged in federal court today with the unlawful retention of national defense information. Abraham Lesnik will plead guilty to the charge… Agents in the FBI's foreign intelligence unit opened a criminal investigation into Lesnik in 2006 after questions were raised as to whether or not classified information ended up in the hands of unauthorized individuals, including foreigners. While working for Boeing, Lesnik held a Department of Defense security clearance of Secret, Special Access, according to his resume. Lesnik was terminated by Boeing in January 2007. FBI agents maintained a 24-hour surveillance on his Los Angeles home for months…..(ABC, 16 Jun 08)

FBI Agent Hanssen - Who Sold His Soul To The Russians

Special FBI agent Robert Hanssen (64) is currently serving a life sentence in prison for 20 years of spying for the USSR and KGB.  Robert Philip Hanssen (64) is a former FBI agent who spied over 20 years for the Soviet Union and Russia against the USA. He is currently serving a life sentence in a closed Colorado penitentiary. Hanssen was arrested on February 18, 2001 at Foxstone Park near his home in Virginia, charged with selling American secrets to Moscow for more than $1.4 million in cash and diamonds over a period of 22 years. On July 6, 2001, he pleaded guilty to 15 counts of espionage in federal court. His activities have been described as “possibly the worst intelligence disaster in US history”… In 1979, Hanssen contacted the Soviet Intelligence Agency (GRU), offering them his services…..(JAVNO, 16 Jun 08)

Cuba condemns court decision against two Cubans accused of spying

Cuba condemned the decision of a United States court upholding the sentences against two of the so-called Cuban Five, facing prison for espionage and conspiracy to commit murder in the United States, Cuban media reported Thursday.  Cuban officials stressed the men will appeal the decision, if necessary as far as the US Supreme Court. Cuba claims the five agents were not carrying out intelligence tasks against the United States but were instead monitoring armed anti-Castro activists on US soil…..(DPA, 12 Jun 08)

An Exclusive Interview with Bush Political Prisoner Susan Lindauer

It's been four years since her federal indictment. On June 17, Lindauer will have her first pre-trial hearing, where she will be allowed to call witnesses to disprove the allegations. Susan Lindauer has never been tried in a court of law—nor allowed any pre-trial hearing to call witnesses to validate claims that she worked as an Asset supervised by U.S. intelligence for 9 years. Instead, she was forced to submit to a psychological evaluation inside a prison on a Texas military base, where she was held for seven months before getting transferred to New York. In all, she was detained for 11 months without a conviction or a guilty plea. Pro se motions for a hearing to prove the authenticity of her claims were ignored…..(Scoop, 12 Jun 08)

American Cassandra: Susan Lindauer’s Story   Part 2

Susan Lindauer has a scheduled hearing at the federal district court in Manhattan on June 17, 2008. Just a year after the Iraq invasion, April 2004, Lindauer was charged with serving as an “unregistered agent” for that nation’s government prior to the U.S. invasion. Lindauer countered that she’d worked as an asset for U.S. intelligence and had simply done her job by predicting the risks and negative outcomes of the planned invasion. She later came to the conclusion that her indictment was a harsh example for any intelligence operatives or figures thinking about taking on the Bush administration in public - stay silent or you’ll experience the same fate. “Above all, you must realize that if you go ahead with this invasion, Osama bin Laden will triumph, rising from his grave of seclusion. His network will be swollen with fresh recruits and other charismatic individuals will seek to build on his model multiplying those networks. And the United States will have delivered the death blow to itself.” Susan Lindauer’s last letter to Andrew Card, Jan. 6, 2003…….(Scoop, 11 Jun 08)

Militants Kill Woman "U.S. Spy" In Pakistan

Militants in Pakistan executed a woman after accusing her of being a spy for the U.S. and a prostitute, and said others would face the same fate, a government official and villagers said on Wednesday. It was the first time that a woman had been killed in northwest Pakistan after being accused of spying although militants have killed many men they accused of helping U.S. forces in neighboring Afghanistan……(Reuters, 11 Jun 08)

The Spy Who Loves Us: Pay no mind to the Mossad agent on the line

After Israeli spy Jonathan Pollard was sentenced to life in prison in 1986, the U.S. negotiated an understanding with Israel—a “gentlemen’s agreement” —stipulating that neither nation would thenceforth conduct espionage operations in the other’s territory without consent. But the agreement was a sham from the beginning… Two Israeli companies in particular—Amdocs and Comverse Infosys, both of which are headquartered in Israel—do significant business in the United States. Amdocs, which has contracts with the 25 largest telephone companies in the U.S. that together handle 90 percent of all calls made, logs all calls that go out and come in on the system. It does not record the conversations themselves, but the records provide patterns, referred to as “traffic analysis,” that can provide intelligence leads. In 1999, the National Security Agency warned that records of calls made in the United States were winding up in Israel. Amdocs also has an apparent relationship with some of the art students who were arrested in 2001. Several were provided with bond money by an Amdocs executive. Comverse Infosys provides wiretapping equipment to law enforcement throughout the United States and also has large contracts with the Israeli government, which reimburses up to 50 percent of the company’s research and development costs. Because equipment used to tap phones for law enforcement is integrated into the networks that phone companies operate, it cannot be detected. Phone calls are intercepted, recorded, stored, and transmitted to investigators by Comverse, which claims that it has to be “hands on” with its equipment to maintain the system. Many experts believe that it is relatively easy to create a so-called “back door” that permits the recording to be sent to a second party, unknown to the authorized law-enforcement recipient. And Comverse equipment has never been inspected by FBI or NSA experts to determine whether the information it collects can be leaked, reportedly because senior government managers block such inquiries……(American Conservative, 11 Jun 08)

Arms-Control Group Tied to Kremlin Paid Wife of Weldon Aide

A former congressional aide admitted in court proceedings that his wife received unreported payments from an arms-control group with ties to top security officials in the Russian government, according to several people involved in an inquiry of a former congressman. The aide worked as chief of staff for former Rep. Curt Weldon, a Pennsylvania Republican. Rep. Weldon had sought a federal grant for the Russian organization, known as International Exchange Group, according to the people familiar with the inquiry. Rep. Weldon's former aide, Russell Caso, pleaded guilty in December to failing to disclose payments made to his wife, but the origin of the funds wasn't identified. Rep. Weldon is embroiled in a federal corruption probe that contributed to his loss in the 2006 election. The Weldon inquiry is significant in part because it is an element of a broader U.S. Justice Department probe into what officials suspect are efforts by Russian-backed firms to gain influence or gather information in Washington. Prosecutors also are looking into Mr. Weldon's involvement with a Russian-owned natural-gas company with alleged ties to organized crime. Attorney General Michael Mukasey in April said the government has reconvened its long-dormant federal Organized Crime Council to combat what he called a new "hybrid criminal problem" involving alliances between foreign intelligence agencies and criminal groups. In a speech before the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington on April 23, Mr. Mukasey said law-enforcement officials have "grave concern" about "so-called 'iron triangles' of corrupt business leaders, corrupt government officials and organized criminals."… The firm paid Mr. Caso's wife $19,000 for editing work, much of which wasn't performed, Mr. Caso admitted in his court statement, and he failed to disclose the payments as required by law. Mr. Caso is cooperating with the investigation, court filings state. Attorneys for Mr. Caso and Mr. Weldon declined to comment on International Exchange. International Exchange was founded by Vladimir Petrosyan, who claimed to have ties to the Kremlin, according to Louisiana lawyer Claude Kelly, who also was involved with the firm. Mr. Kelly said in an interview that Mr. Petrosyan introduced him to top Russian officials including Alexei Alexandrov, a member of the Russian Parliament. Mr. Petrosyan, who left the U.S. in 2006, couldn't be located for comment. In his 20 years in Congress, Rep. Weldon, who speaks Russian and made many trips to Russia, often sought to strengthen relations between the U.S. and Eastern Bloc nations. One person who dealt with Mr. Petrosyan said he used a business card with the House of Representatives seal that identified him as an adviser to Mr. Weldon.….(Wall Street Journal, 10 Jun 08)

Zimbabweans jailed in S. Africa spy scandal freed

Two members of a suspected spy ring arrested in Zimbabwe three years ago on charges of selling information about the ruling party to South Africa have been released from jail, their lawyer said Monday…Godfrey Dzvairo, who was then ambassador-designate to Mozambique, banker Matambanadzo and Itai Marchi, a director in Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe's ruling ZANU-PF party were arrested for breaching the Official Secrets Act.  Marchi and Matambanadzo were each sentenced to five years in prison and Dzvairo for six years. He is due for release next year…..(AFP, 9 Jun 08)

Sir Robert Bruce Lockhart Scottish master spy to be honored in his home town

A Scots secret agent who cheated death at the hands of Russian Bolsheviks has been honored by his home town.  Sir Robert Bruce Lockhart, was working for the British Foreign Service during World War I when he was implicated in a plot to kill Bolshevik leader Vladimir Lenin.  The real-life James Bond was tried, found guilty of espionage and sabotage and condemned to death. But the British arranged for Lockhart to be exchanged for a captive Russian diplomat…..(Daily Record, 9 Jun 08)

Falsely Accused Iraqi Spy Quietly Released from Secret CIA Prison

Ahmed Khalil Ibrahim Samir al-Ani, an Iraqi intelligence agent captured by the US after the invasion of Iraq in 2003 (see June 2004), is quietly released. Al-Ani gained notoriety after 9/11 when Bush administration officials claimed he had a meeting with 9/11 hijacker Mohamed Atta in Prague, in the Czech Republic……(Oracle Syndicate, 6 Jun 08)

Cuban Spies May Appeal To High Court, Lawyers Say

Lawyers for two convicted Cuban spies, one who is serving a life sentence, said Thursday they are considering appealing their cases to the U.S. Supreme Court.  A federal court this week upheld the convictions of Gerardo Hernandez and Rene Gonzalez, who were initially convicted of espionage charges in 2001 with three other men.  The cases of the other three men were sent back to the district court in Miami, where they will face less-strict sentencing guidelines. It was a small victory for the members known as the "Cuban Five," and the National Committee to Free the Cuban Five. The five have been lionized as heroes in Cuba, while exile groups say they were justly punished.  Life sentences for Luis Medina and Antonio Guerrero were vacated, as well as a 19-year sentence for Fernando Gonzalez……(Ledger, 6 Jun 08)

Circuit Upholds Convictions of “Cuban Five,” but Knocks Down Sentences

In 2006, the LB had the good fortune to travel to Cuba. One memorable aspect of the trip was the billboards. Since Cubans don’t have much private industry to speak of, the billboards, rather than advertising products, hawk the messages of Fidel Castro’s regime: “Vamos bien” (”We’re doing well!”); “El camino es la unidad!” (”The road is unity!”).  But many of the billboards advertised the plight of the so-called Cuban Five — five Cuban intelligence agents who were accused of spying in the U.S. Yesterday, a three-judge panel of the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals upheld their convictions, in an opinion found here, but vacated the sentences of three of them, including two who are serving life terms. Here are reports from the AP and the Miami Herald.  Writing for the majority, Judge William H. Pryor concluded that “that the arguments about the suppression of evidence, sovereign immunity, discovery, jury selection and the trial are meritless, and sufficient evidence supports each conviction.” The court also rejected claims that their federal trial should have been moved from Miami….(WSJ, 6 Jun 08)

Israel Suspects Hizbullah Recruiting Balad MKs for Espionage

The Shin Bet has warned Balad Party members not to contact their former chairman Azmi Bishara, who fled Israel in 2007 after being questioned over secret contacts with the terrorist group Hizbullah during the Second Lebanon War. In a letter sent on Thursday, 05 June 2008 to Adalah - The Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel, Deputy Attorney General Raz Nizri wrote, “According to intelligence gathered by the Shin Bet, Bishara remains in contact with elements that are hostile to the State of Israel.”  Nizri added that Bishara might be trying to recruit new moles within the Israeli/Arab party in order to infiltrate the Knesset and relay new information…..(Info Israel, 5 Jun 08)

German Helicopter Spy Trial to Open

An agent for the Foreign Intelligence Service offered a German engineer around $52,000 to provide him with handbooks for Western helicopters, according to an indictment released by a German court on Wednesday. In an ironic bit of timing, the Munich Higher Court published the indictment from Germany's Federal Prosecutor General's Office in the spy case surrounding Vladimir Vozhzhov just one day before Dmitry Medvedev was to visit Berlin on his first trip to the West as president. The case of Vozhzhov, a former official in the Federal Space Agency, caused a diplomatic flap between Moscow and Vienna after he was arrested in Austria one year ago. He was released and returned to Moscow after a United Nations enquiry determined that he had diplomatic immunity. The Munich court has scheduled the opening of the trial against the engineer, Werner Greipl, for next Monday…..(Moscow Times, 5 Jun 08)

A US Court Vacates Sentences of Three Convicted in Cuba Spy Case

…A U.S. appeals court Wednesday upheld the convictions of the so-called "Cuban Five" but vacated the sentences of three of the men. Their cases were ordered back to a federal judge in Miami for new sentencing hearings…Maria Eugenia Guerrero, sister of Antonio Guerrero, who is serving a life term but whose case was remanded for a new sentencing in Miami, said she had not seen the 99-page decision…In Cuba, where the intelligence agents are hailed as heroes and their faces are plastered on walls and billboards, they are called "The Five." Cuban officials maintain that the men spied, not on the U.S. government, but on exile militants considered terrorists by the state. The men, who were arrested in South Florida in September 1998, were convicted in 2001. Cuba said the agents were railroaded in politically charged Miami trials…The appeals court affirmed a sentence of two life terms for Gerardo Hernandez, who was convicted of murder conspiracy in the deaths of four Miami-based pilots shot down by a Cuban fighter jet in 1996…The panel also affirmed the 15-year sentence of Rene Gonzalez, who was convicted of acting as an agent for a foreign government and conspiracy to defraud the United States…The American appeals court also vacated the life term of Luis Medina, aka Ramon Labanino, and the 19-year prison sentence of Ruben Campa, aka Fernando Gonzalez……(Sun-Sentinel, 5 Jun 08)

'Cuban 5' fail in appeal of spy case

…The decision by a three-judge panel in Atlanta was considered a major victory for federal prosecutors against the so-called Cuban Five. The decade-old case was steeped in controversy because prosecutors argued the Wasp spy network was linked to the Cuban government's 1996 shoot-down of two Brothers to the Rescue planes over the Florida Straits… In the United States, the San Francisco-based National Committee to Free the Cuba Five, which has called for their release, issued an angry response to the court's upholding of the convictions.  ''This is a total outrage,'' said the committee's coordinator, Gloria La Riva." That a terrorist like Luis Posada Carriles, who is being protected by the Bush administration, is allowed to walk the streets of Miami and these men kept in jails is incomprehensible…..(Miami Herald, 5 Jun 08)

Prosecutor Demanded 15 Years Sentence for AZAL Former Chief

The court hearing over the case of Emil Suleymanov, former chief of the State-run concern AZAL, who is accused of state treason and espionage, has started… Prosecutor asked to sentence Suleymanov to 15 years of imprisonment, as well as Tamerlan Mikailov, Chief of Operative Service Department to three years, Tahir Asadzade, Engineer-Technologist to two years, FaiG Guliyev, Engineer – Programmer to two years and Rafat Aliyev, an employee of the National Security Ministry to 5 years of imprisonment……(Trend AZ, 4 Jun 08)

Alleged "CIA Spies" May Face Extradition to Iran

Suspected CIA 'spies' may be turned over to Iran by Pakistan. Pakistan claims the agents were captured on the Iranian Pakistan border where they were part of the Jundullah group carrying out attacks on Iranian army facilities inside the country. The CIA has denied any direct ties with the group although frequent meetings with Jundullah leaders were confirmed by U.S. officials to ABC News……(Short News, 2 Jun 08)

Analyze this: Is AIPAC showing some cracks?

…Foremost among them is the still looming and oft-delayed "AIPAC trial." It is now more than three years since the FBI arrested AIPAC policy director Steve Rosen and senior analyst Keith Weissman for allegedly receiving classified information relating to Iran from Pentagon analyst Larry Franklin, and passing it on to an official at the Israeli Embassy in Washington. The case has been highly controversial, not only among AIPAC's supporters in the Jewish community and elsewhere, but with civil rights advocates who believe the Bush Justice Department has gone way over the line in singling out the lobby and prosecuting its officials for information-sharing practices common in Washington……(Jerusalem Post, 2 Jun 08)

Federal judge orders reporter to disclose sources in China spy story
A federal judge in California subpoenaed a Washington Times reporter Saturday, ordering him to reveal the government sources he used for a 2006 story about a Chinese spy ring. Defense and national security reporter William Gertz cited unnamed US government sources in a May 2006 story, which reported that Justice Department officials had approved new charges and an indictment against Chi Mak [CI Centre materials; JURIST report], a Chinese-American engineer sentenced [JURIST report] in March for conspiring to smuggle sensitive naval intelligence data to China…..(Jurist, 2 Jun 08)

US Commerce Secretary’s Laptop May Have Been Compromised During 2007 China Trip

The US Commerce Department is currently investigating whether the security of Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez’s laptop was breached when he visited Beijing in December 2007. Recently, there has been a lot of speculation regarding whether hackers, official and unofficial, in China were responsible for the 2003 power blackouts in Florida and the northeastern states of the US. Amidst all these doubts and investigations has come up another issue  -  the US Department of Commerce now thinks that the Commerce Secretary’s laptop was hacked into when he accidentally left it unattended for some time during his trip to Beijing in December last year…..(IT ProPortal, 2 Jun 08)

Israel frees Hezbollah spy, gets soldiers' remains

Israel handed over a convicted Hezbollah spy to Lebanon on Sunday and in a surprise move the Islamic guerrilla group turned over what it said were the body parts of Israeli soldiers killed in a 2006 war. The Hezbollah gesture, along with recent comments by its leader, signaled that a larger prisoner exchange could be in the works between the two bitter enemies. Israel said publicly that Sunday's exchanges were unrelated to a deal that would include Israel releasing the longest-serving Lebanese prisoner and Hezbollah setting free two soldiers captured in a 2006 cross-border raid that sparked a monthlong war…..(AP, 1 Jun 08)

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