ENIGMA 2000 Newsletter - Issue 2

January 2001
Articles, newsreports and Items of interest : e2k_news@hotmail.com

News items

Special Agents activated in West Bank and Gaza

Due to the possibility of suicide bombings being carried out in the West Bank and Gaza areas Ehud Barak ordered Israeli security services to activate dormant special agents in the West Bank and Gaza areas after intelligence gathered by Mossad indicated that suicide bombers were expected to target the commercial centre of Tel Aviv. These dormant agents are spies who have lived in the West Bank or Gaza areas for months, sometimes years, along with their families. Some agents are of Arab origin but are employed as Mossad operatives. It is thought that these operatives are only activated in times of war.

[Reported 31^stOctober 2000]

French secret services accused of dirty tricks in Tank deal.

A £1bn tank bid to supply the Greek government with Challenger 2 tanks has raised suspicions that the French secret services used dirty tricks to scupper the British bid. French and British teams were among four countries in competition for the tender to supply 250 Tanks. The other countries being Germany and America.

During the tests the British Challenger tanks had difficulty with navigation and were unable to work out exactly where they were. The British use the satellite global positioning system, GPS, for navigation, whilst the French had no such problems with their navigation.

The Americans also claimed that their navigation suffered difficulty and it was later alleged that the French were covertly interfering with a GPS signal.

Investigations showed that a signal was transmitted blocking the signal from one satellite. Since the GPS system needs the signal from 3 or more satellites for accuracy the loss of just one signal means errors in navigation in excess of 100 yards.

In 1995 an American Institute think-tank estimated that France was devoting a third of its secret service budget to economic intelligence. This may well be true since agents from the DST, Direction et Surveillance du Territoire, [French Internal Security Service] removed documents from a hotel in Tolouse where British Aerospace executives were staying.

The Greek officials found the whole event to be most amusing and discounted the dirty-tricks in their decision making processes, eventually selecting the German made Leopard 2A5 Tank as their choice.

Former KGB Colonel Executed.

Gennadi Bernoyski, 41, a former KGB Colonel was executed at his luxury Gold Coast Canal home at Benowa Waters, Australia.

Detective Inspector Len Potts stated that the ex-colonel was putting his rubbish out when he was shot several times in the stomach. The victim managed to crawl back inside the house but died before help could arrive. Two men in wet suits were seen on the night of the murder and if frogmen were involved they could have escaped by swimming across the canal.

He also suggested that a boat could have been waiting nearby explaining why no car was seen leaving the scene.

Seven empty cartridges from a handgun were found in the driveway.

Bernoyski's wife, Svetlana, 28, has stayed away from their home since the shooting.

It is not thought that Bernoyski's previous service with the KGB had anything to do with the shooting, whilst there also appears to be no links with the Russian Mafia.

Lost US 'spy' traced

American military intelligence officer, Lieutenant-Colonel Jeremiah Mattysse fell in love with an Israeli woman and disappeared with top secret documents. He was reported as sporting a false beard at one stage but was found in southern Israel. Police who questioned him thought that he was simply absent without leave.

It later transpired that Mattysse, aged 50, had converted to an ultra orthodox Jewish Sect and decided to return voluntarily to the US after speaking with senior officers. He also denied giving the Israeli's any classified material.

The 'girlfriend' Ricky Niv said that Mattysse had ahnded over sensitive documents. Miss Niv has dual nationality, US and Israeli. Israeli officials have stated that Mattysse had actually applied for immigration status and that the allegations of spying by Ms Niv could be discounted.

Charges dropped against student.

A mature student, Julie-ann Davies 36, arrested last March in connection with 'whistleblower' David Shayler has been told that the charges against her, under the Official Secrets Act, have been dropped.

Ms Davies, studying Manufacturing Engineering at Kingston University, was reportedly removed from a lecture in March and arrested by four Special Branch Officers. Her computer was also seized.

According to various reports Ms Davies was active in a campaign to have charges against David Shayler dropped.

A document that appeared on the Internet alleging that MI6 was involved in an assassination attempt against Colonel Gadafi apparently featured in her questioning.

Ms Davies was given police bail, demanding that she returned 3 times. Her solicitor stated that the charges laid against her client had been "politically inspired".

The charges were apparently dropped upon David Shayler's return to Great Britain, where he now faces charges under the Official Secrets Act concerning disclosures made three years ago about MI5.

Julie-Ann Davies accused the police of ruining her career and violating her human rights, commencing legal action against the police through her solicitor, Gareth Pierce.

In an email to an American site she wrote:

'Following my arrest I have not been re-interviewed or contacted by Special Branch except to extend my Police bail twice. I have been held on Bail for over six months without ever being told exactly what I am supposed to have done, there is a common belief that is was related to the appearance of the CX95 document on Geocities. This question was never put to me. I am extremely angry at ever having been arrested, I find it ironic and interesting that my Bail was terminated on the same day that David Shayler returned to England.'

Britons held in Cuba

Seven Britons, six male and the girlfriend of one of the accused were detained at the State Security prison, Cuba, under suspicion of Spying. Having entered the country on tourist visas they carried sophisticated surveillance equipment, including miniature cameras, directional microphones and video recorders. They were discovered by the Cuban security services.

The men, described as Private Detectives, were recruited by a London Solicitor to undertake round-the-clock undercover surveillance on a Cuban businessman suspected of marital infidelity.

It has been suggested that the group were spying on sensitive sites to provide information on Cuba's sensitive network of outdated Soviet-built power stations currently being refurbished.

The six men work for SIP Investigations situated in Snaresbrook, East London.

The group were later released without charge after being detained for some time. It is thought that efforts by the Foreign Commonwealth Office and the British Ambassador were successful in securing the release.

British Television Crew held as Spies.

Following the arrest of a Channel 4 insight team, two Britons, a South African and two Sierra Leonese journalists the Liberian Government agreed to drop charges of spying in exchange for an apology.

The documentary was to cover the subject of 'blood diamonds' which may have been a somewhat sensitive subject.

A chorus of international appeals for the journalists to be released were made by persons such as Nelson Mandela, Rev Jesse Jackson, Former American President Jimmy Carter.

The dropping of the charges saw the release of the accused who flew out of Liberia shortly after.

There were reports of the four journalists suffering "mental abuse" whilst being held at the headquarters of a Criminal Investigation Unit, the National Security Agency.

North Korea spies released.

63 spies from North Korea have been released after serving terms of up to 45 years in South Korea

North Korea has not promised to return any prisoners of war.

Trades Union for Spies?

Disgruntled intelligence officers, Richard Tomlinson and David Shayler might not have had a mandate to release secrets to the media if another method for them to air their grievances existed.

A working party staffed by members of MI5 and MI6 as well as Trade Union representatives from the Civil Service Unions are reviewing a change.

In the event of a Trade Union being set up for the agencies certain criteria would need to be set . For instance due to the National Interest angle strike action could not be carried out and Union officers would most certainly be past or present employees of either services. It is envisaged that these officers would be able to campaign for health and safety and other employment matters as well as representing staff during disciplinary hearings.

A similar scheme is already in existence at GCHQ since the Union ban being removed in 1997.

Dodgy Software causes spy problems for Canada (and others?).

A program called 'Promis' has been sold to various countries, including Canada, Britain, Australia, South Korea, Nicaragua, Iraq, Brazil, Chile and Columbia. The program was apparently modified to produce a 'trapdoor' through which foreign agents could eavesdrop.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police, RCMP, are investigating allegations that American and Israeli agents have done just that.

Canada already shares certain intelligence with the US and Israel, but there will be economic intelligence, financial intelligence, international relations and matters affecting anti-terrorism that Canada would not wish to share with others. The investigation is said to be undertaken by the National Securities Investigation Section of the RCMP.

Promis was developed as case management software and also has applications for intelligence agencies as a surveillance and investigation files tracker. This software was developed by Inslaw Inc. a Washington based company that alleged the US Government had stolen their software and then sold pirated copies to intelligence agencies world wide. A resulting court case in the US upheld a proportion of Inslaw's claims of software theft and of evidence that the US Justice Dept had used "trickery, fraud and deceit" to steal the Promis Software. This ruling was over ruled but not before a former Israeli spy Ari Ben-Menache alleged that the software had been modified with a 'trap door' to allow American and Israeli agents to spy on those who used the software.

The Canadian government had never purchased Promis but it appears that some departments were running it, although officials claimed that there had been a mistake about the name of the software used. The Canadian Security Intelligence Service, CSIS, refused to discuss what software they used or their awareness of the RCMP investigations.

The RCMP managed to debug their computers in 1994 after 10 years of secrets were alleged to have been tapped.

Rafi Eitan, former deputy head of Mossad, claimed that the idea to fit the electronic trapdoor to the Promis software was his.

Robert Maxwell, the newspaper magnate, who was stated as being a Mossad agent after his alleged suicide, was instrumental in selling, in 1983, Promis to the RCMP by using a front company.

A computer expert, named as Michael Riconoscuito, publicly announced that he was responsible for the modification of the Promis Software for sale to the RCMP and CSIS. He has since been questioned by the investigating team as has Bill Hamilton, a co-owner of Inslaw Inc.

Following a double murder and revelations that the former Israeli spy Ari Ben-Menache had met Dodi Al-Fayed in London two Scotland Yard detectives have interviewed the ex-spy concerning the exchanges between him and Al-Fayed.

Vatican Website infected

The Vatican website was paralysed by a computer virus 'Navidad 1.exe'. It overrode protection from three mainframe computers, appropriately named after archangel Raphael, Michael and Gabriel, and paralysed the software.

The Jubilee site, set up for this year's Holy Year, was attacked and any PC's that downloaded from there were infected.

Enigma theft arrest.

A 57 year old former antiques dealer, of Sandiacre Derbyshire, was arrested and charged with blackmail and receiving stolen goods after the theft of the second world war Enigma encoding machine from Bletchley Park, Buckinghamshire.

After an appearance at Milton Keynes magistrates' court he was bailed to reappear on 15^thJan 2001.

After being bailed the former antiques dealer claimed that he was only a go-between for someone of 'high office' who had bought the machine in good faith. The three missing rotors have been recovered by the police as a result of their enquiries.

American 'Researcher' gaoled in Russia for spying, then pardoned and released!

Edmond Pope, 53, a former senior researcher at Pennsylvania State University, has been held in Lefortovo gaol, Moscow, since 3^rdApril following his arrest by the FSB for spying.

Edmund Pope allegedly purchased the plans of a new high speed torpedo developed by the Russians.

Allegations have also been made since the unfortunate loss of the Kursk that spying had a part in its loss. The torpedo suggested as the device that sank the Kursk is also stated as the same type that Pope had bought the plans of. The Russians have also stated the possibility of a spy aboard the Kursk at the time of the accident.

In addition to the gaoling of Edmund Pope, the head of energy and power systems at Pennsylvania State University, Daniel Kiely, was also detained for questioning. His relationship with Mr Pope was spotlighted whilst he was briefly detained. Edmund Pope's wife, Cheri, and a Congressional Representative, John Peterson, visited Pope as well as lobbying to have Mr Pope released from gaol.

In his subsequent trial, ending early December 00, Mr Pope, an ex Naval Intelligence officer, was gaoled for 20 years.

On Thursday 14^thDecember 00 it was announced that Mr Putin had pardoned Edmund Pope and that Mr Pope had been flown to Ramstein US Air Force base.

MI5 sued for bugging a car used by Sinn Fein leaders

A bugging device that was able to allow MI5 to track the vehicle was discovered hidden in the roof of a Ford Mondeo used by Sinn Fein leaders.

The technically advanced device was equipped with antennae and a digitally enhanced transmission device. Also fitted was a digital tracking capability, presumably GPS, for satellite tracking.

The output is claimed to be applied to a linear amplifier to boost the transmit power.

A microphone had been concealed in the skin of the car as had additional wiring.

Fitted with rechargeable batteries the device was voice and remote operated, allowing deactivation to conserve power.

The court action, which is being brought by the owner of the vehicle, demands exemplary damages for breach of privacy.

Pat Pottle dies.

Pat Pottle, who along with Michael Randle befriended the Soviet Spy George Blake, eventually springing him from Wormwood Scrubs prison has died aged 62.

Both Pottle and Michael Randle were tried for their part in the escape but were acquitted by the jury.

They had met Blake whilst serving sentences for anti war campaigns

It's a briefcase not a laptop.

Following the previous spate of losses; laptops left in restaurants or stolen within railway stations; the latest loss of secrets to hit the Secret services is the loss of a briefcase left on a Dorset Train.

Despite a telephone call to Police and the subsequent searching of trains and stations the briefcase, apparently full of restricted documents remains lost.A Security Service risk assessment revealed that there would be no breach of national security although a Home Office spokesperson has urged any finders to hand the case to their nearest Police Station.

Thanks to J for report

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