Issue Twenty Eight

Published 23 September 2004

Contents:

Main News Features and Reports

• Arrest of the CodeMaker - Intel Treasure Trove: Pakistan intelligence aided by MI6 and the CIA, arrest Mohammed Naeem Noor Khan, known as The CodeMaker. Khan provided al-Qaida with the know-how to create a variety of codes that terrorists used to communicate with each other all over the world. For example, Capitol Hill in Washington DC was codenamed 'faculty of law'. Full background and description of al-Qaida targets in the USA and elsewhere are provided for in this fascinating feature.
   

• Agent April Fool: How US forces bluffed Saddam by using a double agent code-named 'April Fool'. US Commander General Tommy Franks reveals the secret why US forces, rushing to Baghdad from the south of the country, faced an enemy confused, stretched and with little support. War correspondents were puzzled why Saddam did not go to meet head-on the columns of US military trucks and soldiers that seemed to reach the capital with relative ease. The answer? Iraq had moved most of its best divisions and specialist fighters to the north and west. The reason? A double agent known as April Fool had convinced Saddam that America would attack from the north. Eye Spy examines the remarkable intelligence ruse that may have also involved feeding false intelligence to the Russians.
   

• The Bogus Airline Plot: Following his arrest in August 2003, Hemant
  Lakhani was hailed as the most important terrorist since 9/11 to be detained by US security services. He was captured following a complex joint FBI-NYPD undercover sting operation that involved the purchase and smuggling of surface-to-air missiles into America. Lakhani, a 69-year-old businessman from Britain, says he was caught up in an affair that seemed to gather pace. 'I am greedy - but not a terrorist,' he said. The US indictment against him says he told an undercover agent that shoulder-launched missiles 'could be
  used most effectively in terrorist attacks against commercial aircraft in the United States, especially if 10-15 aircraft were shot down
  simultaneously at different locations throughout the country.' He allegedly tried to sell the weapons to a US-based Somali group that was intent on waging war against the US. Unfortunately there was no group and the operation was an elaborate FBI sting. Eye Spy looks at how the Oman with no missile was caught.
   

• The Fugitive: Former MI6 officer Richard Tomlinson, once jailed for
  breaches of the Official Secrets Act, again faces the prospect of
  encountering the man whose testimony helped put him in prison. John Scarlett, the new head of Britain's Secret Intelligence Service, testified at Tomlinson's trial in 1997. This followed details of Tomlinson's effort to circulate a proposal for a book that would include his life in MI6. Now it seems he may yet again interact with Scarlett, and though the reasons are somewhat different. Special Branch officers from Scotland Yard interviewed three Israeli journalists. The men, Guy Leshem and Ronen Bergman of Yedioth
  Ahronoth, and Yossi Melman of Haaretz, told The Sunday Times investigative journalist and author Nick Fielding that they had been asked to testify regarding articles they had published relating to Nahum Manbar. In 1998 Manbar was sentenced to 17 years in jail for 'selling arms and chemicals to Iran.'
   

• FBI Sting: Pakistan officials were decidedly not impressed by the tactics used by the Federal Bureau of Investigation in a sting operation to trap two men suspected of having ties to terrorist organisations. The operation involved creating a seemingly authentic plot to import a shoulder-fired missile and assassinate Pakistan's ambassador to the United Nations in New York. The two suspects would launder money for profit from the sale of a shoulder-fired missile. Pakistan was not informed of the plan and believes
  it could have backfired. Pakistan¹s foreign ministry, Masood Khan, said it was 'bizarre and dangerous.' Full report on an emerging story.
   

• All Change? The US intelligence machine is about to get a new
  'intelligence czar', a move that will see several major agencies, including the CIA and NSA falling under the umbrella of a new head. The move follows criticism over the failure to stop terrorists attacking the United States on 11 September 2001.
   

• Beyond Belief - Russia Under Siege as Children Slaughtered. Chechen terrorists attack school in Beslan, North Ossetia and kill over 300 people - many of them children. Major report on the incident that shocked the world. Full comment and reaction from major political, military and religious figures.
   

• The New Al-Qaida Pirates - First Sea Lord Issues Maritime Warning:
  Intelligence shows al-Qaida may try to target shipping in a bid to disrupt world trade. Admiral Sir Alan West said that Western governments had intelligence that terrorists regarded shipping as an attractive target and have plans to destroy ships. 'We have got an underlying level of intelligence which shows there is a threat,' Sir West told Lloyd's List. He further warned that terrorism could potentially cripple global trade and have grave knock-on effects on developed economies. Report also features al-Qaida attack on the French supertanker Limburg in October 2002.
   

• The Deadly Sea: Retiring NORAD Commander General Ed Eberhart also believes that al-Qaida may try to launch a seaborne attack, because security is being tightened in the air. He said that new instructions allowing USAF fighter aircraft to shoot down hijacked airliners, may see terrorists turn to other methods to strike out at America. 'I believe that it is just a matter of time until terrorists try to use a seaborne attack, a maritime attack against us,' said Eberhart. Full report.

Espionage

• Pentagon Spy Case - Espionage or just a storm in a tea cup?: In late August 2004, US authorities disclosed that a Pentagon analyst was under investigation for possible espionage. Larry Franklin, an Iran specialist working under Douglas J. Feith, a top Pentagon official with close ties to Tel Aviv, may have supplied Israel with critical papers on US policy towards Iran. American officials said that the FBI had spent more than a year investigating the case. Franklin, a colonel in the USAF reserves had taught himself Farsi and refashioned himself as an expert on Iran. He is regarded as the Pentagon's most senior Iranian policy analyst and a personal confidant of Deputy Defense Secretary Paul D. Wolfowitz and Douglas J. Feith, who, as undersecretary for policy, was the Pentagon's third highest-ranking official. He worked for the Defense Intelligence Agency for several years before joining the Pentagon's Office of Near East and South
  Asian Affairs in 2001.
   

• A Secret Life - Espionage, dead letter drops, Cold War antics and a CIA spy codenamed 'Gull': In August 1972, Ryszard Kuklinski, a highly respected colonel in the Polish Army, embarked on what would become one of the most extraordinary human intelligence (HUMINT) operations of the Cold War. Despite extreme risk to himself and his family, he contacted the American Embassy in Bonn, and arranged a secret meeting. He told the Americans that he deplored the Soviet domination of Poland, and that his country was 'on the wrong side.' Over the next nine years, Kuklinski rose quickly in the Polish Defence Ministry, acting as a liaison officer to Moscow, and helping preparations for a possible 'hot war' with NATO countries. At the same time he ran a secret parallel life - a life of subterfuge - of dead drops, messages written in invisible ink, miniature cameras, and secret transmitters. He was a quiet, but impressive spy. In 1980 he tipped off a CIA officer about Moscow's plans to invade Poland and crush the burgeoning Solidarity movement. By 1981, the CIA had been presented with an astonishing 40,265 pages of highly classified Soviet documents by Kuklinski. This absorbing feature was exclusively written for Eye Spy by New York Times journalist Benjamin Weiser who has spent a huge amount of time delving into the CIA archives to piece together the life and work of Kuklinski - once described by the CIA as 'the best-placed source now available to the American Government in the Soviet bloc. The culmination of Weiser's work is A Secret Life - a meticulously researched book that evokes chilling memories of the Cold War, and is laced throughout with chapters truly reflecting the work of a spy.

Articles

• A Most Secret World - An Intelligence Corp Officer Remembers: A quite remarkable article by Colonel John Hughes-Wilson, author of the acclaimed intelligence book, 'The Puppet Masters'. Colonel Wilson provides a deep insight into British military intelligence and some of the top secret operations that he himself participated in. This authoritative feature is packed with previously unseen material, including astonishing photographs of a British general being lowered by helicopter into a Royal Navy nuclear submarine during the Falkland's War. The article is also a wonderful guide to understanding the role and consequences of working for the intelligence corp.
   

• Tito's Secret Tunnels: An exclusive story complete with numerous
  photographs of the enormous underground complex built by Tito inside the Pljesevica Mountain (Balkans). The site provided the former communist nation with a key defence capability. The subterranean 'city' included an actual air base 2000 metres below ground. Runways were made to look like roads and entry points were concealed by trees, natural rock formations and difficult roads. The facility was so secret that few intelligence officials knew of its existence. Today what remains of the site is used by NATO as a
  communications facility. Photographer and author SIMON BELCHER provides Eye Spy with a terrific look at one of the great secrets of the Cold War.
   

• The Joker - Intel middleman who became the pawn in Iraq-Niger yellowcake affair: The Sunday Times journalists Nicholas Rufford and Nick Fielding travel to Europe and secure evidence about the Niger documents that purported to show Iraq had tried to purchase uranium ore. During their investigation, they actually uncovered the identity of a shadowy Italian character known as 'Mr X' who was central in the mystery. Mr X, also known as 'Giacomo', revealed that he was used by the Italian foreign intelligence service, SISMI, to act as a 'middleman' making sure the hoaxed papers eventually found their way out into the open.
   

• Safer Skies: A fascinating feature that discusses moves to make aeroplanes 'terror proof'. The technology used to fly aircraft by remote control was in place and used even before WWII broke out. However, since the growing threat of aircraft being used as guided bombs, scientists and engineers have been working on a system that makes it impossible to fly the plane manually - if instructions are given to override onboard controls. These systems were widely discussed in the immediate aftermath of 9/11, and it is just one of a
  number of that America's Homeland Security is examining. Many airlines have avoided the technology, because up to now, little money has been made available for research. That has now changed with a substantial grant being made available by Washington.

TRADECRAFT

• PROFESSIONAL BODYGUARDS.  Part One - The Grey Men - Between the bullet, the Bomb and the Ballot: Jim Shortt, Eye Spy consultant and a leading authority on security issues, presents a fascinating series of articles that provides an insight into the chilling world of the professional bodyguard - the real grey men. Over the coming issues, the skills and traits necessary to be able to be called a bodyguard are covered. In this feature, Shortt looks at the long history of bodyguarding and how it has evolved over the years. Exclusive to Eye Spy.

INTELLIGENCE

• Kevin G. Coleman helps prepare students entering the intelligence world and examines the skills required by government. As the stability of the operational environment declines and the advancement of technology delivers new 'tools', the requirement for training intelligence operatives, both officers and agents increases. This feature looks at 'Training the 21st Century Covert Operative' and includes the following categories:
  . General - knowledge and skills used to perform investigations.
  .Physical - conditioning the operative for the stresses of the work
  environment.
  .Environmental - specific information about the location where they will be operating.
  .Technological - sophisticated tools for information collection, analysis and use.
  .Cultural -understanding of the socio-ethnic aspects of their specific operational area.
  .Political - understanding the current biases, philosophies and opinions of governments within their operational area.
  .Operational - procedures for conducting operations within the intelligence organisation.
  . Tactical - practices used by the intelligence organisation to achieve their objectives.
  . Weapons - special devices - offensive and defensive - used in the
  execution of their duties.
  . Organisational - specific knowledge about how to work within the specific intelligence entity.
  . Regulatory - detailed knowledge of domestic and international conventions and laws related to a specific area of operational context.
  .Social - specific knowledge and information related to characteristics of specific groups or areas
   

• Special Operations. Operation Atlantic Blue 2005: Intelligence officials and emergency services from the United States, Great Britain and Canada, plan for a massive counter-terrorism exercise. Codenamed Atlantic Blue, the operation will last about seven days and simulate terrorist attacks against each nation. The exact nature of the attacks remain a closely guarded secret, though it almost certainly involves a 'dirty bomb' or chemical scenario.Another possibility is a simultaneous airliner attack in several countries.
   

• The 'Detachment' -14 Intelligence Company joins hunt for al-Qaida
  operatives in Britain and abroad: Credible intelligence sources in the UK, have acknowledged that former officers and troops from an elite British Army intelligence-gathering unit, have been given a unique role in identifying al-Qaida suspects. 14 Intelligence Company, or the 'Detachment' as it was known in Northern Ireland, had for years operated with much success against the IRA. With a truce holding, and little chance of it disintegrating, members of the unit have been given a new role that will see them operate in the UK and abroad. Indeed, it is believed some members, alongside SAS troops, have already assisted US Special Forces in helping them to understand and dismantle roadside bombs (IEDs) in Baghdad.

Special Features

• The Pentagon Building: It is one of the most important and dramatic
  buildings in the world. Most people are aware of the type of business conducted inside the Pentagon, but what about the building itself? Eye Spy presents some interesting facts about the home of the US Department of Defense.

Intelligence Briefs

• Mossad Agents in New Zealand Passport Row: New Zealand froze diplomatic relations with Israel on 15 July, after jailing two alleged Mossad spies for six months. Uriel Zosha Kelman, 30 and Eli Cara, 50, were arrested trying to obtain a passport under false pretences. The men attempted to collect the passport of a New Zealand man who suffers from cerebral palsy.
   

• CIA Officer Named by Media: Emerging story about the 'outing' of CIA officer Valerie Plame, the wife of Joseph Wilson, a US diplomat who clashed with President Bush over intelligence on Iraq.
   

• The Negotiator: French master negotiator Major-General Philippe Rondot, is flown to Baghdad to try and secure the release of kidnapped French journalists Christian Chesnot and Georges Malbrunot. Rondot is a scholarly Arabist who has negotiated the release of French hostages in several Middle East countries, and has participated in several daring operations. A former paratrooper, he has held very high-level positions in the DGSE.
   

• Captured US Taliban fighter Jose Padilla's solicitor argues that his
  20-year sentence 'should be reviewed'. Padilla is suspected of planning a 'dirty bomb' attack in a US city.
   

• Nuclear Spies: Iranian officials arrest a number of 'Western' spies who have infiltrated Iran's nuclear programmes.
   

• Acting CIA head John McLaughlin denounces the move to create an overall US 'intelligence czar'.
   

• Al-Qaida commander Abu Omar As-Seyf is suspected of financing Beslan terror attack.
   

• A German court acquits Johannes Weinrich, an accomplice of Carlos the Jackal, or murder and attempted murder.
   

• Charles Jenkins, an American soldier who spent more than 40 years in North Korea, say that the country is 'manufacturing and breeding spies' from birth.

Intel Snips

• Johan Meyer, head of a South African company charged with nuclear trafficking.
   

• In an attempt to protect nuclear sites against terrorism, the US Government will no longer publish security breaches discovered by its inspectors at power plants.
   

• Libya agrees to pay $85 million (£48m) to victims of a Berlin nightclub bomb. Le Belle Disco was attacked on 5 April 1986.

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