March 2019 Intelligence News

Tunisia nabs UN official on suspicion of 'spying' Press TV 29 Mar 2019 -- Tunisia has arrested a United Nations (UN) official charged with monitoring alleged violations of an international arms embargo on Libya on suspicion of "spying."
Former Government Contractor Pleads Guilty to Federal Charge of Willful Retention of National Defense Information US Dept. of Justice 28 Mar 2019 -- Law Enforcement Recovered Classified Material, Stolen Over Two Decades, From the Defendant's Home and Car
Belgium – MQ-9B SkyGuardian Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA) DSCA 26 Mar 2019 -- The State Department has made a determination approving a possible Foreign Military Sale to Belgium of MQ-9B SkyGuardian Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA) and related equipment for an estimated cost of $600 million. The Defense Security Cooperation Agency delivered the required certification notifying Congress of this possible sale on March 25, 2019.
Spy Trial Of U.S. Consulate Staffer Opens In Istanbul RFE/RL 26 Mar 2019 -- A Turkish employee of the U.S. Consulate in Istanbul has appeared in court to face charges of espionage and attempting to overthrow Turkey's government in a case that has fueled tensions between the United States and its NATO ally.
Mueller Says No Collusion by Trump or His Campaign, AG Barr Concludes VOA 24 Mar 2019 -- Special counsel Robert Mueller says neither President Donald Trump, his campaign, nor anyone associated with it conspired with Russia to interfere in the 2016 presidential election, according to a summary by Attorney General William Barr released Sunday.
AG Summary: Mueller Report Finds No Collusion, But Does Not Exonerate Trump VOA 24 Mar 2019 -- Special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation found no evidence President Donald Trump, his campaign or associates conspired or coordinated with Russia to interfere in the 2016 presidential election, according to a summary released Sunday by Attorney General William Barr.
Trump Claims 'Exoneration' -- Barr Says No 'Conspiracy' Found In Russia Probe RFE/RL 24 Mar 2019 -- U.S. Attorney General William Barr has told the country that Special Counsel Robert Mueller's report on his investigation into Russia's role in the 2016 U.S. presidential election states that the probe "did not establish that members" of President Donald Trump's campaign "conspired or coordinated with the Russian government in its election interference activities."?
Mueller Says Report Doesn't Conclude Trump Committed Crime - Nadler Sputnik 24 Mar 2019 -- Chair of House of Representatives' Judiciary Committee Jerrold Nadler said that the US Justice Department sent to the Congress "a very brief letter" about the Mueller report.
Trump Impeachment Still an Option, US Lawmaker Says Amid Mueller Report Debate Sputnik 24 Mar 2019 -- According to Adam Schiff, Mueller's report needs to be released to the public as soon as possible in its entirety, as presenting people with only "a summary of his conclusions simply won't cut it".
Trump's Legal Trouble Can Go Beyond Mueller Report Release - Reports Sputnik 24 Mar 2019 -- The legal woes of US President Donald Trump and his inner circle go far beyond the soon-to-be-released Mueller report, according to sources.
Mueller Concludes Russia Probe, Submits Report VOA 22 Mar 2019 -- The wait is over. But the political parlor game has just begun.
U.S. Special Counsel Submits Final Report On Russia Investigation To Justice Department RFE/RL 22 Mar 2019 -- U.S. Special Counsel Robert Mueller has submitted his long-awaited report on his investigation into Russia's role in the 2016 presidential election.
White House Rejects Request For Info On Putin, Trump Helsinki Meeting RFE/RL 22 Mar 2019 -- The White House has rejected a request from three congressional committees seeking information on private conversations between President Donald Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin in Helsinki last summer.
Iran dismisses Israeli hacking claims as 'lies' meant to spread Iranophobia Press TV 20 Mar 2019 -- Iran says reports that it has hacked into the phones of Israeli officials are part of the "lies" Tel Aviv spreads against the Islamic Republic on a daily basis, asserting that Tehran would rather put its technological prowess to good use.
Of Suspicious Minds: Medical Experts Cast Doubt On Lesin Autopsy RFE/RL 20 Mar 2019 -- A neck bone that rarely breaks, and when it does, it is almost always due to strangulation or asphyxiation. Soft-tissue hemorrhaging on muscles running along the sides and back of the neck. A swollen brain. Extensive bruising and cuts on legs, arms, hands, chest, face, and skull.
Trump Linking Huawei Criminal Case, China Talks Deepens Concerns Over Interference VOA 20 Mar 2019 -- President Donald Trump shocked some last month when he suggested that the criminal charges against Chinese telecom giant Huawei Technologies and its chief financial officer, Meng Wanzhou, might be used as leverage in his administration's ongoing trade talks with China.
Lebanese security forces detain dual national on charge of espionage for Israel's Mossad Press TV 19 Mar 2019 -- Lebanese intelligence forces have arrested a Lebanese-Canadian man on charges of spying for Israel's Mossad spy agency and collaboration with the regime's authorities through gathering intelligence about the Hezbollah resistance movement and missing Israeli pilot Ron Arad.
FY 20 Military Intelligence Top-Line Budget DoD 18 Mar 2019 -- The Department of Defense released today the Military Intelligence Program top-line budget request for Fiscal Year 2020. The total, which includes both the base budget and Overseas Contingency Operations funding, is $22.95 billion and is aligned to support the national defense strategy.
US Wages Wide-Ranging Campaign to Block Huawei VOA 18 Mar 2019 -- Over the past several weeks, the U.S. government has launched a seemingly unprecedented campaign to block the Chinese telecom giant Huawei Technologies from competing in the global rollout of next-generation 5G mobile networking technology, claiming that the company is effectively an arm of the Chinese intelligence services.
UK selling spyware technologies to autocrat rulers: Report Press TV 17 Mar 2019 -- The British government is facing new allegations of supporting dictatorial and autocratic regimes by selling them spyware technologies that they use to crack down on growing dissent.
Exclusive: Washington Autopsy Files Reveal Lesin Sustained Broken Bone In Neck RFE/RL 16 Mar 2019 -- Mikhail Lesin, the former Russian press minister who turned up dead in a Washington hotel room in 2015, sustained a fracture to a neck bone just below the jaw line "at or near the time" of his death, according to documents released by the city's medical examiner that provide new details about his final days.
Former Defense Intelligence Officer Pleads Guilty to Attempted Espionage US Dept. of Justice 15 Mar 2019 -- Ron Rockwell Hansen, 58, a resident of Syracuse, Utah, and a former Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) officer, pleaded guilty today in the District of Utah in connection with his attempted transmission of national defense information to the People's Republic of China. Sentencing is set for Sept. 24, 2019.
Supreme Court upholds 14-month prison sentence against Chinese spy CNA 14 Mar 2019 -- Taiwan's Supreme Court on Thursday upheld a high court ruling that sentenced convicted Chinese spy Zhou Hongxu (周泓旭) to 14 months in prison.
Challenging Russian Information Operations Requires Whole-of-Government Approach DoD News 14 Mar 2019 -- When it comes to competition "below the level of armed conflict," such as information operations meant to influence adversaries, the U.S. can do more – and has the capacity to do so, the commander of U.S. European Command said yesterday.
European Parliament Presses For More Money To Fight Russian Disinformation RFE/RL 13 Mar 2019 -- A recommendation by the European Parliament calls Russia "the main source of disinformation in Europe" and appeals for increased funding for the European Union's antipropaganda East StratCom Task Force.
CIA May Be Behind February Attack on North Korean Embassy in Madrid - Reports Sputnik 13 Mar 2019 -- Spanish police and intelligence officers, who are investigating the attack on the North Korean embassy in Madrid in February, believe that US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) may be behind the incident, El Pais newspaper reported on Wednesday.
US Intel May Be Behind Attack on North Korean Embassy in Spain - Reports Sputnik 10 Mar 2019 -- US intelligence agencies may have been behind the February attack on the North Korean Embassy in Madrid, during which a group of unidentified people broke into the mission, blocked the diplomats and seized computers, El Confidencial reported on Sunday, citing sources.
Former Trump Campaign Chief Manafort Sentenced To 47 Months In Prison RFE/RL 08 Mar 2019 -- Paul Manafort, who built a lucrative career consulting for Ukrainian politicians and later served as President Donald Trump's campaign chairman, has been sentenced to 47 months in prison.
Estonian President Strips Officer Convicted of Spying for Russia of Ranks Sputnik 08 Mar 2019 -- Estonian President Kersti Kaljulaid has stripped a former officer convicted of spying for Russia of his military ranks, her office said Friday.
Chinese FM: Huawei Case Is 'Deliberate Political Suppression' VOA 08 Mar 2019 -- Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Friday called the legal clash between Chinese company Huawei and the U.S. government "deliberate political suppression," and he vowed to protect the rights of Chinese companies and citizens abroad.
China's Huawei sues US over ban on products Press TV 07 Mar 2019 -- Chinese telecom giant Huawei has filed a lawsuit against a United States law that bans American government agencies from purchasing the Chinese company's equipment, calling the ban unconstitutional.
China's Huawei Sues US Government Over Ban VOA 07 Mar 2019 -- Chinese tech giant Huawei has sued the U.S. government, arguing that legislation Congress passed last year restricting its business in the United States is "unconstitutional."
Putin: Russia Cracking Down On Foreign Spies, But Needs Stronger Protection Of Military Secrets RFE/RL 06 Mar 2019 -- President Vladimir Putin has called on Russia's FSB domestic security service to strengthen the protection of information related to new weapons and other sensitive data, saying that foreign intelligence agencies were beefing up activities in the country.
US Steps Up Campaign to Block Huawei Within US VOA 06 Mar 2019 -- A Canadian judge has set the date for a new hearing in the case of a Chinese executive with the global tech giant Huawei, who U.S. prosecutors are hoping to extradite to face charges over bank fraud, wire fraud and conspiracy.
Chinese Hackers Targeted US Universities for Maritime Military Secrets - Report Sputnik 05 Mar 2019 -- Chinese hackers reportedly targeted nearly 30 universities around the world in an attempt to steal military maritime technology secrets.
Controversial NSA Phone Program Quietly Ditched - House Aide Sputnik 05 Mar 2019 -- First employed by President George W. Bush's administration following the 2001 terror attacks, the NSA-championed phone data programme was reshaped into the so-called Freedom Act of 2015, which stipulates that Americans' phone data remain in the hands of telecom companies.
US House Democrats Seek Criminal Probe of Jared Kushner Over Security Clearance Sputnik 05 Mar 2019 -- Congressmen Ted Lieu and Don Beyer wrote in a letter to Attorney General William Barr on Tuesday asked the US Department of Justice to open a criminal investigation of Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner after a media report that Trump ordered White House officials to give Kushner a top secret security clearance.
Female Tank Commander 'Defects' For Love, Warns Kyiv Of 'Invasion' Plan RFE/RL 05 Mar 2019 -- KYIV -- It may be a Ukrainian love story as complicated and dubious as the motives behind the simmering war itself: A female separatist commander and star propagandist for Russia-backed separatists defects to Kyiv to be with her Ukrainian spy lover. But she also brings word of Russian plans for a massive invasion. Moreover, she's ready to testify in The Hague to Moscow's role in alleged war crimes.
Secret CIA Docs Claim Pakistani Intel Funded JeM's Predecessor Before bin Laden Sputnik 04 Mar 2019 -- The outfit was initially sponsored by Pakistan and then later gravitated towards Osama bin Laden when it was in need of more funds.
WikiLeaks Whistle-blower Manning Subpoenaed to Testify in Case Against Assange Sputnik 03 Mar 2019 -- Earlier, The Daily Beast reported that another WikiLeaks volunteer, David House, had agreed to testify before the grand jury in the case in exchange for immunity, noting that he was "walking around on the street [and] not [sitting] in an embassy".
Chinese FM Lodges Protest Over Huawei CFO Extradition to US, Slams Canada Sputnik 02 Mar 2019 -- The Canadian Department of Justice has said that Ottawa had decided to grant authorisation to proceed with the extradition process in Huawei Chief Financial Officer Meng Wanzhou's case.
Trump Demands WH to Grant Kushner Top Security Clearance Amid US Intel Concerns Sputnik 01 Mar 2019 -- US President Donald Trump ordered senior White House officials to upgrade his son-in-law and senior adviser Jared Kushner top-secret security clearance despite concerns of the intelligence community, media reported.
Canada to Allow Extradition of Huawei CFO to US Sputnik 01 Mar 2019 -- The Canadian Department of Justice has decided to allow the US to extradite Meng Wanzhou, the chief financial officer of Chinese tech giant Huawei. Meng is wanted in the US for alleged financial crimes.
Huawei Units Plead Not Guilty to Trade Secret Theft Charges - Justice Dept Sputnik 01 Mar 2019 -- Two equipment-manufacturing units of the Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei pleaded not guilty in a US court to theft of trade secrets and wire fraud charges, the Justice Department said in a press release.
Air Force merging intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance staffs with cyber operations staffs to forge more nimble, effective team US Air Force 01 Mar 2019 -- The Air Force is merging its headquarters staffs to integrate intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance with cyber effects operations efforts to enable coordinated Title 10 and Title 50 actions across the range of military operations, while elevating chief information officer roles and responsibilities.

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