January 2023 Intelligence News

Statement by National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan Following Arrest in Alleged Assassination Plot Targeting Critic of the Iranian Regime The White House 27 Jan 2023
Justice Department Announces Charges and New Arrest in Connection with Assassination Plot Directed from Iran US Dept. of Justice 27 Jan 2023 -- A federal court in New York today unsealed murder-for-hire and money laundering charges against three members of an Eastern European criminal organization for plotting the murder of a U.S. citizen who has been targeted by the Government of Iran for speaking out against the regime's human rights abuses.
Attorney General Merrick B. Garland Delivers Remarks on Charges and New Arrest in Connection with Assassination Plot Directed from Iran US Dept. of Justice 27 Jan 2023
Deputy Attorney General Lisa O. Monaco Delivers Remarks on Charges and New Arrest in Connection with Assassination Plot Directed from Iran US Dept. of Justice 27 Jan 2023
Assistant Attorney General for National Security Matthew G. Olsen Delivers Remarks on Charges and New Arrest in Connection with Assassination Plot Directed from Iran US Dept. of Justice 27 Jan 2023
3 Gang Members Indicted in 2nd Plot to Kill Iranian American Journalist VOA 27 Jan 2023 -- Three members of an Eastern European criminal gang with ties to the Iranian government have been indicted in a plot to kill Masih Alinejad, an Iranian American human rights activist and VOA Persian TV host, the Justice Department announced Friday.
US sentences Army Reservist to 8 years in prison for spying Radio Free Asia 26 Jan 2023 -- A Chinese former graduate student was sentenced in Chicago on Wednesday to eight years in prison for spying for China.
Iran arrests members of over a dozen Israel-linked terrorist teams: Intel minister Press TV 25 Jan 2023 -- Iran's intelligence minister says security forces have managed to arrest members of over a dozen Israel-linked terrorist teams and effectively foiled their nefarious plots to destabilize the country.
Chinese National Sentenced to Eight Years for Acting within the United States as an Unregistered Agent of the People's Republic of China US Dept. of Justice 25 Jan 2023 -- A Chinese national was sentenced today to eight years in prison for acting illegally within the United States as an agent of the People's Republic of China.
Former FBI Official Pleads Not Guilty to Latest Criminal Charges VOA 25 Jan 2023 -- Retired top FBI official Charles McGonigal pleaded not guilty in federal court in Washington on Wednesday to criminal charges alleging he took at least $225,000 from a former Albanian intelligence agent while serving as the chief of counterintelligence for the FBI's New York field office.
US Presidents Facing Scrutiny on Documents VOA 25 Jan 2023 -- As former Vice President Mike Pence joined the club of top officials mishandling classified documents, U.S. presidents and vice presidents going all the way back to Jimmy Carter, the oldest living former commander in chief, must now respond to public scrutiny on whether they followed procedure in returning classified material upon leaving office.
Concerns grow over British universities' ties with military-linked Chinese partners Radio Free Asia 25 Jan 2023 -- Calls are growing in the United Kingdom for greater scrutiny of British universities' "risky" ties with Chinese institutions, some of which have been linked to the genocide of Uyghurs and the development of technology useful to the People's Liberation Army.
Upgrading US Army's UAV technology - The Raven Army News 24 Jan 2023 -- U.S. Army Soldiers assigned to 1st Battalion, 26th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), improved their skills on the newly updated unmanned aerial vehicle, RQ-11B, or "The Raven," in Smardan, Romania, 16 Jan. 2023.
Press release on the Fourth Session of the UN Ad Hoc Committee to Elaborate a Comprehensive International Convention on Countering the Use of Information and Communications Technologies for Criminal Purposes Russia Ministry of Foreign Affairs 23 Jan 2023
Reported spyware deal implicates Israeli firm in Myanmar junta's crimes, critics say Radio Free Asia 23 Jan 2023 -- Human rights groups are criticizing a reported deal between Myanmar's military and an Israeli tech firm for intercept spyware, accusing the company of aiding and abetting the junta in crimes against humanity.
Former Senior FBI Official Charged in Two Separate Indictments VOA 23 Jan 2023 -- A retired senior official of the FBI has been arrested on charges of secretly taking hundreds of thousands of dollars from a former Albanian spy and violating U.S. sanctions by secretly working for a Kremlin-linked Russian oligarch he once investigated.
Retired FBI Executive Charged with Concealing $225,000 in Cash Received from Former Intelligence Officer US Dept. of Justice 23 Jan 2023 -- Charles F. McGonigal, 54, a former FBI Special Agent in Charge of the New York Field Office, has been arrested on charges relating to his receipt of $225,000 in cash from an individual who had business interests in Europe and who had been an employee of a foreign intelligence service, while McGonigal was serving as Special Agent in Charge of FBI counterintelligence efforts in the New York Office. McGonigal retired from the FBI in September of 2018.
Former Special Agent in Charge of the FBI New York Counterintelligence Division Charged with Violating U.S. Sanctions on Russia US Dept. of Justice 23 Jan 2023 -- A former Special Agent in Charge of the FBI New York Counterintelligence Division and a former Soviet and Russian diplomat were arrested Saturday on criminal charges related to their alleged violating and conspiring to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) and conspiring to commit money laundering and money laundering.
White House Defends Discovery of More Classified Docs in FBI Search of Biden Home VOA 23 Jan 2023 -- The White House on Monday defended itself from growing criticism after an FBI search Friday at President Joe Biden's personal residence yielded yet more classified documents, by saying that the administration is cooperating with authorities.
DNI Haines Participates in World Economic Forum Panel Director of National Intelligence 23 Jan 2023
Ukraine's SBU Responsible For Killing Of Banker Who Was Conduit For Russian Intelligence, Says Intel Chief RFE/RL 23 Jan 2023 -- Ukrainian security agents were responsible for killing a Ukrainian banker who reportedly served as a crucial information conduit and negotiator with Russia in the run-up to last year's invasion, a top intelligence official said.
Democratic Lawmakers Criticize Biden After Classified Documents Found VOA 22 Jan 2023 -- Several Democratic lawmakers expressed criticism Sunday of President Joe Biden's handling of classified materials after the latest discovery of several documents with classification markings.
Report: CIA Chief Secretly Visited Ukraine Last Week to Brief Zelensky on Russian Military Plans Sputnik 20 Jan 2023 -- CIA Director William Burns reportedly held a secret meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kiev last week to brief him on US intelligence that possibly forecasts Russia's next plans in its special military operation.
CIA Director Reportedly Traveled To Kyiv For Secret Talks With Zelenskiy RFE/RL 20 Jan 2023 -- News reports say the director of the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) traveled to Ukraine last week for secret talks with President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.
Court orders detention of ex-lawmaker, retired Navy officer in spy case CNA 19 Jan 2023 -- The Kaohsiung District Court on Thursday overturned its earlier decision, ruling that former legislator Lo Chih-ming (羅志明) and retired Navy major general Hsia Fu-hsiang (夏復翔) should be detained and held incommunicado on suspicion of helping China develop an espionage ring in Taiwan.
Chinese FM fiercely rebukes US spy chief's remarks about sanctions on China Global Times 19 Jan 2023 -- A spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry on Thursday offered a fierce rebuke to remarks made by a top US intelligence official's remarks about imposing similar economic sanctions against Russia on China, saying some in the US are addicted to sanctions that cause harm and chaos to the world.
CIA chief secretly visited Ukraine prior to war: Report Press TV 17 Jan 2023 -- The director of the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) had made a secret trip to Ukraine prior to the country's war with Russia, according to a report.
Moscow says another meeting between spy chiefs of Russia, US can't be ruled out Press TV 17 Jan 2023 -- The Kremlin says another meeting between the spy chiefs of Russia and the United States cannot be ruled out, as relations between Moscow and Washington continue to be at a post-Cold War low over the ongoing war in Ukraine.
White House Gives Few Details About Additional Classified Documents Found at Biden's Home VOA 17 Jan 2023 -- The White House faced a new barrage of criticism Tuesday about the weekend announcement that lawyers found a third tranche of classified documents at the president's private home.
Investigation Bureau probes alleged classified intelligence leak CNA 16 Jan 2023 -- The Investigation Bureau said Monday that it is probing the sale of documents online that are being advertised as classified Taiwanese intelligence files.
US House Republican Blasts Biden's Handling of Classified Documents VOA 15 Jan 2023 -- The new Republican head of a key House committee assailed Democratic President Joe Biden and his aides Sunday for their handling of classified documents discovered at a Washington office Biden used after his vice presidency ended in 2017 and at his home in the eastern city of Wilmington, Delaware.
Explaining the Trump and Biden Documents Investigations VOA 14 Jan 2023 -- The recent discovery of classified documents at U.S. President Joe Biden's former office at a think tank in Washington and his home in Delaware has invited comparisons to a case involving former President Donald Trump's handling of government records.
Attorney General Merrick B. Garland Delivers Remarks on the Appointment of a Special Counsel US Dept. of Justice 12 Jan 2023
Appointment of a Special Counsel US Dept. of Justice 12 Jan 2023 -- Attorney General Merrick B. Garland announced today the appointment of a former career Justice Department prosecutor and former U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur to serve as special counsel to conduct the investigation of matters that were the subject of the initial investigation by U.S. Attorney John R. Lausch Jr. related to the possible unauthorized removal and retention of classified documents or other records discovered at the Penn Biden Center for Diplomacy and Global Engagement and the Wilmington, Delaware, private residence of President Joseph R. Biden Jr.
Statement of Special Counsel Robert K. Hur US Dept. of Justice 12 Jan 2023
US Justice Department names special counsel to investigate Biden documents Press TV 12 Jan 2023 -- The US Justice Department names special counsel for President Joe Biden's documents probe after a second set of classified documents was found at his private residence.
Court finds former air force officers guilty in Taiwan's latest espionage case Radio Free Asia 11 Jan 2023 -- A court in Taipei has found two former high-ranking military officers guilty of violating the national security law in the latest espionage case involving Taiwanese military personnel.
US Indicts Chinese Student in Democracy Case VOA 11 Jan 2023 -- A Chinese national who has been studying in Boston has been indicted by a U.S. federal grand jury for allegedly stalking and threatening another Chinese citizen for posting fliers that support democracy in China.
Biden Says He Doesn't Know What's in Classified Documents VOA 10 Jan 2023 -- President Joe Biden said he was "surprised" to learn his lawyers found government records in his former office at a Washington think tank and said he does not know what information is contained in the classified documents.
Ex-Air Force officers get suspended sentences for security offenses CNA 10 Jan 2023 -- Two former military officers have been found guilty of national security-related offenses but received suspended sentences and were ordered to pay a combined NT$900,000 (US$29,557) to the nation's coffers.
People's Republic of China Citizen Indicted for Allegedly Stalking, Threatening Individual Promoting Democracy in China US Dept. of Justice 10 Jan 2023 -- A Berklee College of Music student, who is a citizen of the People's Republic of China (PRC), has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Boston in connection with allegedly stalking and threatening an individual who posted fliers in support of democracy in China.
China dismisses reports it tracked British government vehicles as 'disinformation' Radio Free Asia 10 Jan 2023 -- China has denied a media report that it installed tracking devices in British government vehicles, dismissing the allegations as "sheer rumor" amid growing concerns over overseas infiltration by Beijing.
Iran's Intelligence forces dismantle two more Mossad-linked spy teams Press TV 10 Jan 2023 -- Iran's Intelligence Ministry says it has identified and arrested members of two more teams affiliated with the Israeli Mossad spy agency across the country.
Iran arrests members of 4 operational teams affiliated to Mossad ISNA 10 Jan 2023 -- Iranian security forces managed to arrest the members of four Mossad spying teams, which were identified three weeks ago, and to identify two other operational teams which are affiliated to this terrorist network, Iran's Ministry of Intelligence announced on Tuesday.
Iran security forces annihilate six teams affiliated to Mossad IRNA 10 Jan 2023 -- The security forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran dismantled six teams affiliated with the Israeli intelligence agency (Mossad), Iran's Ministry of Intelligence announced on Tuesday.
Former lawmaker, retired Navy officer questioned in Chinese spy probe CNA 05 Jan 2023 -- Former legislator Lo Chih-ming (羅志明) and retired Navy major general Hsia Fu-hsiang (夏復翔) were questioned while in the custody of prosecutors Thursday on suspicion of recruiting retired military personnel to travel on hosted trips to China.
4 detained in espionage case involving retired Air Force captain CNA 04 Jan 2023 -- A retired Air Force captain and three active military officers in the Air Force and Navy were detained in Kaohsiung on Wednesday on suspicion of spying for communist China, while three other active officers in the military were released on bail.
Former GE Power Engineer Sentenced for Conspiracy to Commit Economic Espionage US Dept. of Justice 03 Jan 2023 -- A New York man was sentenced today to 24 months in prison for conspiring to steal General Electric (GE) trade secrets, knowing or intending to benefit the People's Republic of China (PRC).

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