June 2019 Intelligence News

Western intel agencies hacked Russian online search firm to plant spying virus Press TV 29 Jun 2019 -- Elements tied to Western spy agencies hacked into online search engine firm Yandex – the Russian equivalent to Google -- late last year to embed a malware designed to snoop on its user accounts, a report has revealed.
Spokeswoman: May Tells Putin To Stop Destabilizing Activities RFE/RL 28 Jun 2019 -- British Prime Minister Theresa May has told Russian President Vladimir Putin that their countries can only have a different relationship if Moscow stops the behavior that threatens to undermine international security, her spokeswoman said.
German Intelligence Agency Claims Russia Uses Sputnik, RT as Tools for 'Subtle' Influence Sputnik 27 Jun 2019 -- Russia has been seeking to "exert subtle influence" on Germans to sway their opinion through its main state-run media outlets, including RT Deutsch and the Sputnik news agency, Germany's domestic intelligence service, the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV), said in its 2018 report on Thursday.
U.S. Embassy Formally Protests Alleged Mistreatment Of Jailed American Accused Of Spying RFE/RL 27 Jun 2019 -- The U.S. Embassy in Moscow said it had formally protested what it called the mistreatment of Paul Whelan, a U.S. citizen and former U.S. Marine who has been jailed on espionage charges.
NSA Again Improperly Collects US Phone Records VOA 26 Jun 2019 -- The National Security Agency again improperly collected records of American phone calls and texts last year, according to documents made public Wednesday.
US Protests Russian 'Mistreatment' of Citizen Detained on Espionage Charges VOA 26 Jun 2019 -- The United States has formally protested what it is calling Moscow's mistreatment of Paul Whelan, a former U.S. Marine who has been detained in Russia on espionage charges since December.
Polish National Sentenced In Russia On Spy Charges RFE/RL 25 Jun 2019 -- The Moscow City Court has sentenced a Polish national to 14 years in prison after finding him guilty of espionage.
Polish Citizen Sentenced to 14 Years for Trying to Steal Secret Parts of Russia's S-300 Sputnik 25 Jun 2019 -- A Moscow city court has conducted a closed-door trial into the case of Polish citizen Marian Radzajewski, accused of espionage, the Russian Federal Security Service stated.
Iran executes former Defense Ministry contractor over spying for CIA Press TV 22 Jun 2019 -- Iran has executed a former contract employee for the Defense Ministry's Aerospace Industries Organization on charges of spying for the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and the White House.
Reports: Iranian Man Executed For Allegedly Spying For CIA RFE/RL 22 Jun 2019 -- Iranian media reported that authorities have executed a man convicted of spying for the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).
Defence Ministry Employee Executed in Iran for Spying for CIA Sputnik 22 Jun 2019 -- Earlier, Tehran announced that it busted a "large US cyber-espionage" network run by the CIA, arresting several spies. According to Tehran, the operation was organised and conducted in cooperation with "partners", without naming them.
Taiwan increases penalties for spying for China CNA 19 Jun 2019 -- An amendment to the National Security Act cleared the legislative floor Wednesday, with heavier punishments for practices that jeopardize national security or social order, including developing organizations and collecting confidential information for China.
U.S. Deports Russian Convicted Of Smuggling F-16 Manuals RFE/RL 19 Jun 2019 -- A Russian citizen will be immediately deported from the United States after pleading guilty to smuggling F-16 technical manuals to Moscow.
Chinese College Students Being Forced to Spy on US VOA 18 Jun 2019 -- Chinese university students in the United States are increasing being pressured to act as pawns in the ever-expanding espionage war that Beijing is running against Washington and its allies.
Iran's Ministry of Intelligence deals 1st blow to CIA spy network ISNA 18 Jun 2019 -- Iran's Ministry of Intelligence has successfully dealt first blow to US cyber-espionage network run by Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).
Iran details destroying CIA spy network in world first Press TV 18 Jun 2019 -- Iran's Intelligence Ministry details how it recently delivered an unprecedented destructive blow to an integrated network of operatives serving the US spy agency via the Internet.
Iran Says Used Recruited CIA Cyberspies to Take Down Wider Network - Reports Sputnik 18 Jun 2019 -- Iran's intelligence agents were able to bust a CIA cyberespionage network allegedly operating in the country by recruiting spies from that very network to infiltrate the ring, Tasnim news agency reported on Tuesday, citing an official from the Iranian Intelligence Ministry.
Iran uncovered, busted CIA-run cyber-espionage network: Security chief Press TV 17 Jun 2019 -- Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) Ali Shamkhani says the country's intelligence apparatus has successfully discovered and dealt a serious blow to a cyber-espionage network, which was run by the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and operated in a number of countries.
Iran Claims It Uncovered U.S. Cyberespionage Network RFE/RL 17 Jun 2019 -- Iran claims it has exposed a U.S. cyberespionage network run by the CIA and that several spies have been arrested in several countries as a result.
Arrests Made as Iran Busts 'Large' CIA-Run Network - Reports Sputnik 17 Jun 2019 -- The development comes against the backdrop of tensions between the United States and Iran that dramatically escalated last week, when Washington accused Tehran of being behind attacks on two oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman.
Russia denies meddling in European Parliament elections Press TV 16 Jun 2019 -- A senior Russian security official has dismissed as "completely absurd" accusations that Moscow meddled in European Parliament elections last month.
Pakistan Appoints New Spy Chief RFE/RL 16 Jun 2019 -- The Pakistani military has announced the appointment of a new chief for the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) spy agency.
EU Probe Finds 'Continued, Sustained' Online Disinformation By 'Russian Sources' RFE/RL 14 Jun 2019 -- The European Union says that it has gathered evidence of "continued and sustained" disinformation activity by Russia aimed at influencing the results of May's elections for the European Parliament.
Russian Charged With Trying To Obtain F-16 User Manuals To Avoid U.S. Trial RFE/RL 14 Jun 2019 -- A Russian software developer charged by U.S. authorities with trying to obtain user manuals and instructional materials for F-16 fighters jets will forgo a scheduled jury trial to enter a plea.
UK government signs order to enable Assange extradition to US Press TV 13 Jun 2019 -- Britain's interior minister Sajid Javid has signed an order enabling the country's legal system to extradite WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange to the United States where he could face decades in prison for exposing confidential documents.
UK Home Secretary Signs Request for Assange's Extradition to the US Sputnik 13 Jun 2019 -- The whistleblower and WikiLeaks founder is currently serving a 50-week sentence in a London jail for violating his bail conditions in 2012, when he took refuge inside the Ecuadorian Embassy to avoid extradition to Sweden on sexual assault charges which have been dropped and reopened repeatedly.
UK's intelligence service broke laws on data storage, use: Watchdog Press TV 11 Jun 2019 -- Britain's internal secret service MI5 has been criticized for breaching laws on a serious level when it comes to storage and handling of the data gathered from citizens with the purpose of fighting terrorism.
Iran frees Lebanese jailed for spying for US; White House 'thankful' Press TV 11 Jun 2019 -- Tehran has freed Nizar Zakka, a Lebanese national serving a jail term in Iran for espionage for the United States, following mediation efforts by President Michel Aoun of Lebanon.
Lebanese U.S. Resident Convicted Of Spying Leaves Iran For Lebanon RFE/RL 11 Jun 2019 -- A Lebanese national imprisoned in Iran on charges of spying for the United States has arrived in Beirut after being released by Tehran.
Outcry as High Court Finds MI5 Engaged in 'Unlawful' Storage, Handling of Bulk Surveillance Sputnik 11 Jun 2019 -- Ten internal documents from senior MI5 officials, including an 11 March letter from director Sir Andrew Parker, revealed significant non-compliance issues in how citizens' data had been kept and used, including a subsequent cover-up of internal failures and that "data might be being held in ungoverned spaces in contravention of our policies".
Justice Department Presses UK to Extradite WikiLeaks Founder to US VOA 11 Jun 2019 -- The Justice Department has formally asked Britain to extradite WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange to the United States to face a raft of charges related to his release of a massive trove of secret diplomatic cables and war logs, a U.S. official said on Tuesday.
North Korea leader's slain step brother was a CIA agent: WSJ report Press TV 11 Jun 2019 -- The Wall Street Journal says North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's half-brother, who was allegedly poisoned on a trip to Malaysia in 2017, had been "a CIA informant."
North Korean Leader's Murdered Half Brother Was CIA Informant - Reports Sputnik 11 Jun 2019 -- Kim Jong Nam, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's assassinated half-brother, was reportedly an informant to the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and had met with US officials multiple times, according to people familiar with the matter who spoke to the Wall Street Journal.
Directive Reveals Canada's Military Spies May Gather Data on Country's Citizens - Report Sputnik 10 Jun 2019 -- The August 2018 document says that while information on Canadian citizens can be gathered inadvertently during unrelated operations, such information can still be stored, shared and used to supplement future authorized investigations.
Ex-Associate Of Jailed Russian Scientist Charged With Treason Arrested RFE/RL 06 Jun 2019 -- Authorities in Russia have arrested the former associate of a researcher at a Russian rocket- and spacecraft-design institute who had been in detention for almost a year on treason charges, his son says.
Russia's Yandex 'Declines Request' To Hand Over Encryption Keys RFE/RL 04 Jun 2019 -- Yandex, Russia's largest search engine, has refused to turn over encryption keys that would give the country's law enforcement the ability to decode its entire e-mail traffic, local media report.
Lebanon: Iran To Free Lebanese Man Convicted Of Spying For U.S. RFE/RL 04 Jun 2019 -- Iran has agreed to release technology expert Nizar Zakka, a Lebanese national who is serving a 10-year prison sentence on charges of spying for the United States, Lebanon's government says.

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