June 2021 Intelligence News

Czech Republic Demands Compensation From Russia For 2014 Explosion RFE/RL 28 Jun 2021 -- The Czech Republic has demanded that Russia pay compensation for the 2014 explosion at an arms depot that Prague has blamed on Russian intelligence agents.
US Supreme Court Declines Appeal from Contractors in Abu Ghraib Prison Torture Case Sputnik 28 Jun 2021 -- Last year, DRDO had left the world stunned after launching 12 missiles within six weeks in September and October. India's state-owned Defence Research and Development Organisation, this year, plans to induct its longest-range, most potent nuclear-capable ballistic missile, the Agni series, into the armed forces.
Classified Documents On U.K. Destroyer Involved In Disputed Black Sea Incident Found At Bus Stop RFE/RL 27 Jun 2021 -- Classified defense documents containing details about the U.K. military vessel HMS Defender and the British military have been found at bus stop in the country, the BBC reported on June 27.
Another Man Arrested In Crimea Accused Of Spying For Ukraine RFE/RL 24 Jun 2021 -- Russian-imposed authorities in Ukraine's Crimea have arrested a man on charges of spying for Kyiv, the second person detained for alleged espionage on the peninsula since April.
Defense Department Linguist Sentenced to 23 Years in Prison for Transmitting Highly Sensitive Classified National Defense Information to Aid a Foreign Government US Dept. of Justice 23 Jun 2021 -- Mariam Taha Thompson, 62, formerly of Rochester, Minnesota, was sentenced today to 23 years in prison for delivering classified national defense information to aid a foreign government. As part of her March 26 guilty plea, Thompson admitted that she believed that the classified national defense information that she was passing to a Lebanese national would be provided to Lebanese Hezbollah, a designated foreign terrorist organization.
US Linguist Gets 23 Year Sentence For Giving Hezbollah Names of US Agents After Soleimani Was Killed Sputnik 23 Jun 2021 -- A linguist for the US military who gave the Lebanese paramilitary group Hezbollah names of human intelligence sources following the January 2020 US strike that killed Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps Quds Force commander Qasem Soleimani received a 23-year prison term for her efforts, the Justice Department said on Wednesday.
Mistrial of UT associate professor over false spying accusation latest example of US intelligence agencies' political manipulation, shattered credibility: FM Global Times 22 Jun 2021 -- The declared mistrial of Hu Anming, a Chinese national and former associate professor at the University of Tennessee, due to a failed accusation of espionage, has exposed the consistent tactics used by US intelligence agencies in conducting investigations based on presumption of guilt, and it is also another example of their political manipulation, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said on Tuesday.
Five People, Including Russian National, Charged With Violation Of U.S. Arms Export Control Act RFE/RL 22 Jun 2021 -- The U.S. Justice Department has charged five individuals, including a Russian citizen, with conspiring to illegally export defense articles to Russia in violation of the Arms Export Control Act.
Five Charged in Scheme to Export Thermal Imaging Scopes and Night Vision Goggles to Russia, in Violation of Arms Export Control Act US Dept. of Justice 22 Jun 2021 -- A federal grand jury in Los Angeles unsealed an indictment Thursday that accuses five defendants of conspiring to unlawfully export defense articles to Russia. Specifically, the defendants allegedly exported thermal imaging riflescopes and night-vision goggles without a license, in violation of the Arms Export Control Act.
National Intelligence University Joins the Office of the Director of National Intelligence Director of National Intelligence 21 Jun 2021 -- The National Intelligence University (NIU) officially transitioned from the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) to the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) on June 20, 2021.
Russian Man Charged With Spying For Ukraine Transferred To Moscow RFE/RL 21 Jun 2021 -- A Russian national detained in April in Ukraine's Russia-annexed Crimean Peninsula on espionage charges has been transferred to Moscow.
Germany Arrests Russian University Researcher On Suspicion Of Espionage RFE/RL 21 Jun 2021 -- Germany's authorities say they have arrested a Russian citizen accused of passing sensitive information from a German university to Moscow in return for cash.
'Case Closed': Serbian Officials Silent After Russia Blamed For 'Ecstasy' Attack On Teen In Belgrade RFE/RL 19 Jun 2021 -- The Serbian Interior Ministry has ignored an official request seeking documents to shed light on a politician's allegation that Russian diplomats attacked his teenage daughter at a Belgrade McDonald's two years ago before they were whisked away and the incident was swept under the carpet by police.
Canada Ponders Entry into World of Foreign Espionage VOA 18 Jun 2021 -- Senior veterans of Canada's intelligence community are publicly advocating for the country to consider whether to enter a sphere it has, until now, largely left to others — foreign espionage.
Army awards C5 OTA prototype projects for COMINT, ELINT solutions for MDSS HADES PEO-IEW&S 15 Jun 2021 -- The U.S. Army Project Director for Sensors – Aerial Intelligence (PD SAI) entered into Other Transaction Authority (OTA) agreements on June 11, 2021 through the Consortium for Command, Control, and Communications in Cyberspace (C5) to engage L-3 Communications Integrated Systems and Raytheon Applied Signal Technology.
US Attorney General Meets With Media Executives Over Leak Probe VOA 15 Jun 2021 -- Attorney General Merrick Garland met with top executives at CNN, The New York Times and Washington Post Monday in the aftermath of revelations that gag orders were imposed while the Trump administration Department of Justice worked to seize emails of national security reporters.
FBI Agent Admits to Falsely Accusing Nanotech Research Professor of Being a Chinese Military Spy Sputnik 15 Jun 2021 -- Since 2018, the US Department of Justice has been pursuing a 'China Initiative' - a Trump-era program created in response to allegations of national security threats by Chinese state-affiliated entities and agents. According to DoJ data, some 80% of economic espionage prosecutions and 60% of trade secret theft cases are allegedly linked to Beijing.
Statement from Attorney General Merrick B. Garland US Dept. of Justice 14 Jun 2021
'Highly Offensive' Gag Orders in Media Subpoena Cases, Lawyer Says VOA 13 Jun 2021 -- Gag orders that the U.S. Justice Department imposed on lawyers representing two prominent news outlets fighting subpoena requests have raised concerns about First Amendment protections.
Outgoing Mossad Chief Hints At Israeli Role In Attacks On Iranian Nuclear Targets RFE/RL 11 Jun 2021 -- The departing head of Israel's Mossad intelligence service has hinted at possible Israeli involvement in recent attacks on Iran's nuclear facilities and on an Iranian scientist, though he stopped short of directly claiming responsibility.
DOD Leaders Share Their Intelligence Threat Assessments DoD News 11 Jun 2021 -- The fiscal year 2022 Defense Department's $715 billion budget request includes $23.3 billion for the military intelligence program and defense intelligence leaders addressed the capabilities and gaps of military intelligence.
Latvian Parliament Allows Arrest Of Lawmaker Reportedly Suspected Of Spying For Moscow RFE/RL 10 Jun 2021 -- Latvia's parliament has voted to allow investigators to arrest Janis Adamsons, a lawmaker from the Saskana (Harmony) faction who is suspected of spying for Russia.
Investigative Groups Link Poisoning Of Russian Writer Bykov With FSB Agents Suspected In Navalny Case RFE/RL 10 Jun 2021 -- Independent investigative groups Bellingcat and The Insider say a detailed investigation shows Russian writer and poet Dmitry Bykov, a critic of the government, suffered a poisoning attack two years ago at the hands of the same agents suspected of being involved in the poisoning of opposition figures Aleksei Navalny and Vladimir Kara-Murza, Jr.
Poland Detains Man On Suspicion Of Spying For Russia RFE/RL 10 Jun 2021 -- Polish prosecutors have arrested a man they say was acting as a spy for Russia and placed him in pretrial detention for three months.
Two Men Arrested In Armenia Accused Of Spying For Azerbaijan RFE/RL 07 Jun 2021 -- Armenia's National Security Service says it has arrested two men on suspicion of spying for Azerbaijan, with which Yerevan recently fought a war over the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh.
German Domestic Intelligence Chief Warns Of Increased Russian Activity RFE/RL 06 Jun 2021 -- Russian intelligence activity in Germany has significantly increased and now reached Cold War levels, Berlin's top domestic intelligence chief warned.
Department of Justice says it will no longer secretly seize journalists' records in leak probes Press TV 06 Jun 2021 -- The US Justice Department has announced that it will no longer seize reporters' records during leak investigations, a major policy shift that follows blowback from recent disclosures that federal prosecutors were aggressively seeking data of journalists to identify their sources.
White House Says US Justice Dept. Will No Longer Seize Reporters' Records in Leak Probes Sputnik 05 Jun 2021 -- The US Department of Justice will no longer subpoena the records of reporters while investigating leaks of classified information to the media, White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said on Saturday.
Statement by Press Secretary Jen Psaki on the Department of Justice Leak Investigation Policy The White House 05 Jun 2021
Human Rights Groups Urge Ukraine To Fix Shortcomings In Proposed Reform Of Security Service RFE/RL 04 Jun 2021 -- Human Rights Watch (HRW) and more than 20 other groups have encouraged Ukraine's parliament to address shortcomings in a proposed law to reform the country's security service before passing it.
Corps modernizing Intel system to reduce size, support CMC's vision USMC News 04 Jun 2021 -- Marine Corps Systems Command is in the process of fielding a modernized version of an intelligence system that provides critical information to commanders on the battlefield.
The US' spying all over the world is unacceptable: China's Foreign Ministry Global Times 03 Jun 2021 -- It is unacceptable that the US spies on its allies, and it's even worse that it spies on others around the world, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said on Thursday, in response to questions about China's comment on the US being criticized for spying on leaders of its allies.
European countries urge explanation on alleged U.S. spying on Merkel, officials People's Daily 02 Jun 2021 -- European countries demanded the United States and Denmark for an explanation as soon as possible on reports that the U.S. intelligence agency had used Danish infrastructure to spy on senior European officials, including German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
Department of Defense Releases 2022 Military Intelligence Program Budget Request DoD 01 Jun 2021 -- The Department of Defense released the Military Intelligence Program (MIP) top line budget request for Fiscal Year 2022. The total is $23.3 billion and is aligned to strategic priorities of the Secretary of Defense.
Macron urges "clarity" over alleged U.S. spying on Merkel, others People's Daily 01 Jun 2021 -- French President Emmanuel Macron said on Monday that all must be clarified concerning reports that the United States intelligence agency had used the Danish infrastructure to spy on senior European officials, including German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
Wiretapping scandal: Merkel, Macron want US, Denmark to explain spying on allies Press TV 01 Jun 2021 -- With the emergence of a controversial report that Washington had over the years spied on its allies in the European continent, with help from Danish intelligence service, two leading European powers, France and Germany, are now demanding explanations from the United States and Denmark over the scandal.
White House: US to Explain Spying on EU Leaders Via Security Channels With Allies Sputnik 01 Jun 2021 -- The United States will address the issue of spying on the European leaders, including the German chancellor Angela Merkel, and Denmark's role in it through the national security channels with its allies, White House Principal Deputy Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters on Tuesday.

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