CIA Suspects Iranian Nuclear Defector Who Returned to Tehran Was a Double Agent
THE TELEGRAPH: The CIA is investigating whether Shahram Amiri, the Iranian nuclear scientist who defected to the US but last week flew back to Tehran, was a double agent.

The strange case of Shahram Amiri has puzzled US intelligence chiefs who approved a $5 million payment to him for information about Iran's illicit nuclear programme.

Former US intelligence agents have predicted that Mr Amiri will disappear into prison or even face death, despite the hero's welcome he was accorded as he was met by his wife and hugged his seven-year-old son.

But his decision to fly back voluntarily, claiming outlandishly that he was kidnapped by CIA and Saudi agents during a pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia last June and then tortured in the US, has prompted suspicions that he was a double agent working for Iran all along, The Sunday Telegraph has learned.

There are also questions about why the Iranian authorities allowed him to travel alone to Saudi Arabia, despite his sensitive work, and why he left his family behind if he was intending to leave Iran permanently. >>> Philip Sherwell in New York and William Lowther in Washington | Saturday, July 17, 2010

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Russischer "Tausch-Spion" ist angeblich bereits in Wien
Foto: Krone.at
KRONE.at: Die Gerüchte über einen amerikanisch-russischen Agententausch in Wien scheinen sich zu bestätigen: Der wegen Hochverrats verurteilte Moskauer Nuklearexperte Igor Sutjagin soll bereits in Wien eingetroffen sein, sagte der russische Menschenrechtler Ernst Tschorny am Donnerstagnachmittag der Nachrichtenagentur Interfax. Eine offizielle Bestätigung dafür gab es zunächst aber nicht.

Tschorny sagte, man habe Sutjagins Vater per Telefon mitgeteilt, sein Sohn sei bei der Ankunft am Wiener Flughafen gesehen worden. Er sei von einem britischen Offizier empfangen worden, der ihn nach London weiterbringen soll. Laut "Krone"-Informationen wurde der Transport mit einem Privatjet mit unauffälliger Firmenaufschrift unternommen. Die Landung erfolgte am späteren Nachmittag. >>> | Donnerstag, 08. Juli 2010

Russian 'Spies' Formally Charged Amid Swap Claims
THE TELEGRAPH: The 11 people accused of spying for Russia have been formally charged, amid claims the US and Russia are planning to carry out a Cold War-style 'spy swap'.

Alleged Rusian spies Richard and Cynthia Murphy. Photo: The Telegraph
US Justices ordered two suspects detained in Boston and three in the Washington area to be transferred to New York, where they will join five already there at the next court hearing at the end of the month.

They are all accused of “conspiring to act as secret agents in the United States on behalf of the Russian Federation and nine of these individuals with conspiracy to commit money laundering,” the formal indictment said.

The charges carry a maximum sentence of 20 years for money laundering and five for the conspiracy allegations.

It comes amid reports the Kremlin is planning to hand over Igor Sutyagin, a Russian academic jailed for spying for the CIA in 2004, as well as Sergei Skripal, a former colonel in Russian military intelligence jailed for spying for Britain in 2006, in return for the release of the alleged Russian spies. The names of the other "exchangees" were not disclosed. >>> Andrew Osborn in Moscow | Thursday, July 08, 2010

Sons Watch Spy Suspects Appear in Handcuffs and Shackles
Donald Heathfield and Ann Foley. Photographs: The Times
THE TIMES: Two accused Russian spies appeared in leg irons today in a Boston court, where their lawyers were granted extra time to prepare their defence in a spy case that has driven oil slicks off America’s front pages and prompted an international manhunt in the eastern Mediterranean.

Seven more of the alleged Russian agents were due in court tonight to seek bail against daunting odds as the search for their supposed ringleader continued in Cyprus, and Washington expressed its dismay over his release on Wednesday.

Christopher Metsos, the alleged bag-carrier for many of the suspected “sleepers”, was still at large after the astonishing decision by a Cypriot judge to release him on a €26,500 bond.

A dejected senior Cypriot legal official told The Times today that Mr Metsos “probably went to the north and has left from there already”, referring to the strong possibility that Metsos has crossed into the self-declared Turkish Republic. >>> Giles Whittell, Washington and Michael Theodoulou, Nicosia | Thursday, July 01, 2010

Judge Grants Israeli Spy Asylum: Son of Hamas founder, Mosab Hassan Yousef, turned spy for Israel avoids deportation


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Dmitri Medvedev and B. Hussein Obama together. Photograph: Google Images
Obama Knew of FBI Plan But Said Nothing to Medvedev, Admits White House
THE TIMES: The White House admitted yesterday that even as Presidents Obama and Medvedev met last week for talks in Washington, Mr Obama knew the FBI was closing in on an alleged Russian spy ring and chose to say nothing.

The confession was matched by an acknowledgement in Moscow that at least some of the 11 suspects are Russian citizens, but it will do little to assuage Russian anger.

Vladimir Putin accused American officials of being “out of control”, while a Kremlin spokesman said that the US had revived “the spirit of the Cold War”.

Sergei Lavrov, the Russian Foreign Minister, said that the only thing that was clear about the raids on Sunday was that their timing had been chosen “with special elegance”. Continue reading and comment >>> Analysis, Tony Halpin, Giles Whittell | Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Moscow Admits Members of ‘US Spy Ring’ Are Russian Citizens
Anna Chapman, one of those accused of spying for Moscow. Photograph: The Times
THE TIMES: Main points:
11 arrested over spy ring in United States /
‘Mastermind’ held in Cyprus
/ One suspect used fake British passport
/ Married couples and journalist among those held
/ Investigation lasted a decade

The Russian Government has admitted that 11 people accused of spying for Moscow in the US include Russian citizens, but denies that they acted against American interests.

The Foreign Ministry urged the US to take into account the “positive character” of relations between the two countries, after President Obama and President Dimitry Medvedev offered a show of unity and dined together on hamburgers last week.

“We are talking about Russian citizens who came to the United States at different times,” the ministry said in a statement. “They have not committed any kind of actions directed against the interests of the United States.”

Vladimir Putin, the Russian Prime Minister, who has a background in the security services, was more aggressive.

He told the former US president Bill Clinton, “Back at your home, the police went out of control (and) are throwing people in jail.

“I hope that all the positive gains that have been achieved in our relationship wll not be damaged by the recent event.”

The Russian Foreign Ministry called for lawyers and diplomats to have access to the suspects, who had posed for years as middle-class professionals from a range of countries including Uruguay and Canada. Continue reading and comment >>> Judith Evans, Tony Halpin in Moscow and Giles Whittell in Washington | Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Suspected Spies Head to Court

Suspected Israeli Spy Arrested in Poland

French Teacher Accused of Spying Did Work for French MI6
THE TELEGRAPH: A young French teacher released on Sunday by Iran after being held on espionage charges was actually working with the French MI6, a former senior French spy claimed yesterday.

Clotilde Reiss, 24, who was held for ten months in Iran on spying charges, had worked "very well" for France, according to Pierre Siramy, a former high-ranking member of France's external intelligence service, the DGSE.

The claims sparked instant consternation and denials from the French intelligence community, as the official foreign ministry line has always been that she was an innocent academic with no links to spying.

Mr Siramy said she was not a spy "in the classic sense of the word", but worked "à l'anglaise"(in the English style). In other words she "bravely" handed over information on an "amicable" basis for the good of the country.

"She was our representative's contact," said Mr Siramy.

In this capacity she provided reports on domestic politics in the run up to last July's presidential elections and on a nuclear site under construction next to the central town of Isfahan where she was an assistant university teacher, said Mr Siramy.

"She deserves to be recognised as someone who worked very well (for France)," he said. >>> Henry Samuel in Paris | Monday, May 17, 2010

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French Anger as Iran Holds Woman
BBC: France has demanded the release of a French academic who it says has been detained in Iran since 1 July, accused of spying.

The French foreign ministry condemned the arrest of the unnamed woman and said the allegations of spying did not stand up to examination.

The French news agency AFP says the woman is an academic in Isfahan.

She had been in Iran for five months, and was arrested at Tehran airport as she was about to depart for Beirut.

"We call on the Iranian authorities to free our compatriot immediately and allow her to leave Iran for France," the French foreign ministry said in a statement.

The ministry said the Iranian ambassador in Paris had been summoned for an explanation. >>> | Monday, July 06, 2009

US Journalist Receives Eight-year Sentence for Spying
Roxana Saberi in happier times. Photo: GoogleImages
TIMESONLINE: AN American journalist has been jailed for eight years after an Iranian court convicted her of spying.

The trial of Roxana Saberi, 31, lasted just five days and took place behind closed doors.

Saberi, a freelance reporter for the BBC and America’s National Public Radio, was arrested in January initially for not carrying the correct press credentials. She was then accused of passing classified information to US intelligence services and taken to Tehran’s Evin jail.

The United States say the charges of espionage are baseless and have demanded her immediate release, while fellow journalists have set up an internet campaign to highlight her plight.

A former Miss North Dakota, Saberi, who has an Iranian father and Japanese mother, moved to Iran six years ago. The 31-year-old is a citizen of both the United States and Iran, but Tehran does not recognise dual nationality status. >>> Robin Henry | Saturday, April 18, 2009

Free Roxana Saberi >>> Asian American Journalists Association

leJDD.fr: Iran: Condamnée à tort?

Roxana Saberi, une Irano-américaine qui travaillait pour la BBC à Téhéran, a été condamnée à huit ans de prison ferme pour espionnage. Un verdict annoncé samedi que dénonce Hillary Clinton, qui se bat depuis un mois pour faire libérer la journaliste. L'affaire menace les efforts de l'Iran et des Etats-Unis qui tentent ces derniers mois de renouer leurs relations diplomatiques.

Les appels d'Hillary Clinton, la secrétaire d'Etat, n'auront rien changé: la journaliste irano-américaine Roxana Saberi a été condamnée à huit ans de prison à Téhéran pour espionnage au profit des Etats-Unis, a-t-on appris samedi auprès de son avocat, Me Abdolsamad Khorramshahi. Ce dernier a annoncé que sa cliente fera appel. Cette jeune femme de 31 ans, qui travaillait depuis six ans pour la BBC et la radio publique américaine NPR, avait été arrêtée en janvier dernier et aussitôt incarcérée sur le site d'Evin, la prison réservée aux détenus politiques.

Son procès s'est déroulé en une seule journée, lundi dernier, à huis clos devant le tribunal révolutionnaire de Téhéran. Une durée inhabituellement brève. Le verdict, qui devait tomber dans quelques semaines selon le porte-parole du ministère iranien de la Justice, a également été rendu bien plus vite que prévu. >>> Par G.V. (avec Reuters), LeJDD.fr Samedi 18 Avril 2009

American Journalist Roxana Saberi Awaits Fate after Iran Spy Trial
Photo of Roxana Saberi courtesy of TimesOnline
TIMESONLINE: The jailed Iranian-American journalist Roxana Saberi was waiting to learn her fate today after her one-day trial on espionage charges at Tehran’s Revolutionary Court.

She was tried on charges of “spying for foreigners... for America,“ Ali Reza Jamshidi, an Iranian government spokesman said, adding that a verdict was expected in two to three weeks. She faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted.

Ms Saberi, 31, who was arrested in January after buying a bottle of wine and subsequently accused of working without press credentials, was charged last week with spying for the United States. An investigative judge involved in the case alleged that she had passed classified information to American intelligence services.

She “was carrying out spying activities under the guise of being a reporter”, Hassan Haddad, the chief deputy prosecutor said last week. “The evidence is mentioned in her case papers and she has accepted all the charges,” he added.

News of yesterday’s speedy trial came as a setback for American efforts to secure her release. They also dashed hope of rapprochement between the countries, raised by Tehran’s positive response to President Obama’s appeal for direct talks.

Hillary Clinton, the Secretary of State, expressed her “deep concern” for Ms Saberi’s safety and dismissed the charges against the reporter as baseless. She said it was unclear why the trial was moving at such fast pace, especially given the gravity of the charges.

Her parents visited her briefly today at the notorious Evin prison and said she appeared in reasonable health. “We met Roxana for a few minutes and she is doing well,” Reza Saberi, her father, said. “We are waiting for the judge to make a decision. It should come out in a week. There is always hope but we don’t know what will happen.” >>> Catherine Philp, Diplomatic Correspondent | Tuesday, April 14, 2009

Iran Charges U.S. Journalist With Espionage
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL: TEHRAN, Iran -- An Iranian-American journalist detained in Tehran has been charged with espionage, her lawyer said Wednesday.

Roxana Saberi has been informed of the charges against her, her lawyer Abdolsamad Khorramshahi told the Associated Press, without providing any further details.

"Yes, Saberi has been charged with espionage," he said.

The charges against her come two days after her parents visited their daughter in prison. The couple from North Dakota met Ms. Saberi for half an hour at the prison where she is being held -- the first time they had spoken to her since she called them on Feb. 10 to say she had been arrested.

The 31-year-old U.S.-born journalist has reported for the BBC, NPR and other media. She was arrested in late January. Iranian officials said at the time that she was working in the Islamic Republic with expired press credentials. >>> Copyright © 2009 Associated Press | Wednesday, April 8, 2009

The Religion of Love and Peace? 'Israel Spy' Put to Death in Iran
Photo of Ali Ashtari courtesy of the BBC
BBC: Iran has hanged a telecoms engineer convicted of spying for Israel, reports from Tehran say.

Ali Ashtari, an Iranian, was convicted in June of spying for Mossad, Israel's intelligence agency. A video said to be of his confession was broadcast on TV.

He was convicted of sending "sensitive information on military, defence and research centres" for three years.

Israeli officials were quoted in June as saying that Israel was not familiar with the case.

Announcing the execution, which reportedly took place on Monday, Iran's official news agency said the case against the 45-year-old was clear and his appeal was summarily dismissed.

"He had spied for Mossad for three years," the state news agency quoted the intelligence ministry's director of counter-terrorism as saying. >>> | Novemebr 22, 2008

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