7 VALUABLE OSINT-COLLECTION SITES!

OSINT News has 97 bookmarked Websites and here's 7 of them, with a brief description of each. We use these 7 sites often to cross-reference information obtained off our Foreign Newspaper Database.

Hope these 7 sites are useful to you, too:
Defense Threat Reduction Agency   Watches over weapons of mass destruction (chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear and high explosives) by reducing the present threat and preparing for the future threat.

104th Congressional Report on Intelligence in the 21st century- Detailed document on all facets and all types of intelligence-gathering.

Intelligence Online: First published in 1980 and available online since 1995, Intelligence Online (formerly Intelligence Newsletter) has reported on and analysed the activities of intelligence agencies around the world for more than 30 years. Since the 1990s Intelligence Online has also closely monitored the corporate intelligence business.

Secrecy News- Simply subscribe with your e-mail address and you'll receive Secrecy News for free. This publication is part of the FAS Project on Government Secrecy. It provides informal coverage of new developments in secrecy, security and intelligence policies, as well as links to new acquisitions on our web site. It is published 2 to 3 times a week, or as events warrant.

Virtual World of Intelligence- Sites listed in left column are updated often about Most Wanted, Intelligence Agencies, Internet Crime, Law Enforcement, Military, Terrorist activities and Area 51. They do delve into some conspiracy theories, but there is sound information as well.

United Kingdom Intelligence Agencies- Created by the FAS, it has updates on all intelligence-related happenings in Britain.

CIA Electronic Reading Room- Offers declassified documents from heretofore classified CIA information.

BROWSE THROUGH OUR OSINT BOOKSTORE!

Robert Morton, M.Ed., Ed.S. is a member of the Association Of Former Intelligence Officers (AFIO) and writes about the U.S. Intelligence Community (IC). A portion of this site's ad revenues is donated to the AFIO. The views expressed on this site do not represent those of any organization he is a member of. We're always looking for different perspectives regarding the Intelligence Community- got a thought, article or comment you'd like to submit? Contact us on the Secure Contact Form

THE LARGEST CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY (CIA) BOOKSTORE ANYWHERE IS HERE!

OSINT News boasts the largest CIA BOOKSTORE found anywhere.

If you're a spy buff, journalist, enjoy reading Spy genre, or a professional Intelligence Community (IC) officer, you'll enjoy browsing through, aisle-by-aisle, our selection of non-fiction books about the CIA. In addition to scholarly books, the CIA Bookstore contains professional journal research papers, magazine feature articles, kindle availability, and DVDs of interviews with CIA case officers, analysts and administrative personnel.

HOW CIA INFILTRATES AL QAIDA DEMONSTRATED

 

Click to view "Infiltrating Al Qaida" 5-Part Series

OSINT News recommends this series for serious spy buffs as well as professional IC case officers and counterintelligence personnel. Take in this addicting 5-part series and learn about Azar Shareef, a successful member of one of America's most elite special ops teams. He loves his country, has dedicated his life to serving it and accepts the most important undercover assignment of his career. It’s also the most dangerous job anyone on his team has ever attempted.

If he succeeds, he will have his choice of assignments or positions within the CIA… If he fails, he knows he will be horribly tortured, killed and used as an example of how dangerous attempting to infiltrate Al Qaida can be.


Learn how Azar tries to convince his Al Qaida connection that he is legitimate and no threat. Learn how he hides his  nervousness and fear so the Al Qaida leaders don't suspect him of being an undercover agent. Azar becomes the most convincing performer around, for his life depends upon it. He risks everything to get inside ‘The Base’.


How Spycraft has transformed in this new battle we're in! Secret tradecraft techniques and the field of counter-terrorism is an unrecognizable entity from what it was during the Cold War. The lives of many agents are in continuous danger; that's why OSINT News backs this 5-part series, for it reveals how cruel the game has become. There is no honor between rivals on the streets of Beirut or Baghdad—only the most quick-witted survive. A modern spy must blend in, live among the enemy, speak the language, befriend, and exploit the enemy at every opportunity. They are required to be streetwise, rough, tough, and ruthless.
 
If you are a serious Spy buff, spy genre writer, or a professional member of the U.S. Intelligence Community (IC), this series if for you. No longer will we use armored Marine divisions to battle Al Qaida. This strategy is not working. The Pentagon began looking for a new way in 2005 and the new Spycraft techniques have expanded into the field of battle and are disrupting jihadist networks in ever more creative ways. This 5-part series brings that fact out.


Robert Morton, M.Ed., Ed.S. is a member of the Association Of Former Intelligence Officers (AFIO) and writes about the U.S. Intelligence Community (IC). A portion of this site's ad revenues is donated to the AFIO. The views expressed on this site do not represent those of any organization he is a member of. We're always looking for different perspectives regarding the Intelligence Community- got a thought, article or comment you'd like to submit? Contact us on the secure Bpath Mail Form

BECOME AN EXPERT ON THE CIA

This is an excellent posting for writers of the Spy genre, for those who plan to join the agency and desire to prepare for a pending job interview with the CIA, and for all the Spy buffs out there who enjoy reading Spy genre.

Grab a pen and notepad and watch these videos. Take copious amounts of notes and memorize them in detail-you'll become an expert on the inner workings of the CIA. Much of the video lectures below are with Ronald Kessler. He was a Washington insider and knows much about the U.S. Intelligence Community. Author of over 17 non-fiction novels, in one of his books ("The Bureau: The Secret History of the FBI"), Kessler proved that Bob Woodward’s and Carl Bernstein’s Watergate source dubbed Deep Throat was FBI official W. Mark Felt. Kessler found out that Woodward met with Felt clandestinly in California and had his limousine park ten blocks away from Felt’s home so as not to attract attention.

Ronald Kessler is the New York Times bestselling author of nineteen non-fiction books about the Secret Service, FBI, and CIA. OSINT News offers them all, below:
What are the divisions of the CIA?
What is the 'Center for the Study of Intelligence'?
What is the 'Office of the General Counsel'?
What is the 'Office of Inspector General'?
What is the CIA's 'Office of Public Affairs'?

The Clandestine Service division of the CIA involves cloak & dagger-type of missions overseas.
 The CIA National Clandestine Service
Ronald Kessler What are the responsibilities of the CIA's National Clandestine Service?
What are the responsibilities of the CIA's Covert Action Staff?
What are the responsibilities of the CIA's Special Operations Staff?
What are the responsibilities of the CIA's Counterintelligence Staff?
What are the responsibilities of the CIA's Counterterrorism Office?
What are the responsibilities of the CIA's Counternarcotics Office?
What countries are under surveillance by the National Clandestine Service?
The CIA Directorate Of Science And Technology
Ronald Kessler
What are the responsibilities of The Directorate of Science and Technology?
What types of technology have been created in the Directorate of Science and Technology?
What are the responsibilities of the SIGNIT Operations?
The CIA Directorate Of Intelligence
Ronald Kessler
What are the responsibilities of The CIA Directorate of Intelligence?
What are the responsibilities of the CIA'S Office of Leadership Analysis?

All Related Content:CIA Past And Present:
CIA And The War On Terror
CIA History
Past CIA Missions
CIA Divisions
CIA Myths
The CIA Today
Inside The CIA

Most Viewed in Inside The CIA
Joining The CIA
The CIA Farm
CIA Physical Training
The Mind Of A CIA Spy
The Life Of A CIA Spy
Recruiting CIA Agents
Quitting The CIA
CIA Personnel
CIA Surveillance Detection
Living Abroad As A CIA Spy


Cyber Security- Our picks!

Robert Morton, M.Ed., Ed.S. is a member of the Association Of Former Intelligence Officers (AFIO) and writes about the U.S. Intelligence Community (IC). A portion of this site's ad revenues is donated to the AFIO. The views expressed on this site do not represent those of any organization he is a member of. We're always looking for different perspectives regarding the Intelligence Community- got a thought, article or comment you'd like to submit? Contact us on the secure Bpath Mail Form

BOOKS DETAIL CIA SPY RECRUITMENT IN IRAN

Browse through the CIA Bookstore! 

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These two books cover the CIA's spy recruitment efforts in Iran. "A Time to Betray" is more exciting than a fictional spy thriller and details the true-story accounts from a CIA operative's memoirs of the inner workings of Iran's notorious Revolutionary Guards. "A Time to Betray" contains memoirs were revealed by an Iranian citizen recruited inside the Revolutionary Guard ranks by the CIA. 

The book describes the human side of being a spy for the CIA. Family and friendships torn apart by Iran's terror-mongering regime and how the adult choices of three childhood friends during the Islamic Republic yielded divisive and tragic fates. The CIA-recruited spy is real and the book describes his commitment to lead a shocking double life of informing on the beloved country of his birth, a place that once offered the promise of freedom and enlightenment...but instead ruled by murderous violence and spirit-crushing oppression.

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A second book on the CIA's involvement in Iran should be read by all in the clandestine services- "Iran and the CIA: The Fall of Mosaddeq Revisited". It describes Reza Kahlili, who grew up in Tehran surrounded by his close-knit family and two spirited boyhood friends. The Iran of his youth allowed Reza to think and act freely, and even indulge a penchant for rebellious pranks in the face of the local mullahs. His political and personal freedoms flourished while he studied computer science at the University of Southern California in the 1970s. But his carefree time in America was cut short with the sudden death of his father, and Reza returned home to find a country on the cusp of change. The revolution of 1979 plunged Iran into a dark age of religious fundamentalism under the Ayatollah Khomeini, and Reza, clinging to the hope of a Persian Renaissance, joined the Revolutionary Guards, an elite force at the beck and call of the Ayatollah.

But as Khomeini's tyrannies unfolded, as his fellow countrymen turned on each other, and after the horror he witnessed inside Evin Prison, a shattered and disillusioned Reza returned to America to dangerously become "Wally," a spy for the CIA. "Iran and the CIA: The Fall of Mosaddeq Revisited" was lauded by Shahram Chubin, Director of Studies, Geneva Centre for Security Policy. Chubin stated of the book, "This is an important and beautifully balanced study of the overthrow of Iran's Prime Minister Mosaddeq".

Robert Morton, M.Ed., Ed.S. is a member of the Association Of Former Intelligence Officers (AFIO) and writes about the U.S. Intelligence Community (IC). A portion of this site's ad revenues is donated to the AFIO. The views expressed on this site do not represent those of any organization he is a member of. We're always looking for different perspectives regarding the Intelligence Community- got a thought, article or comment you'd like to submit? Contact us on the Secure Contact Form.

FIVE TOP OSINT NEWSPAPER RESOURCES

To cross-reference and elaborate on information, OSINT News searches these 5 foreign newspaper sites. The first two sites offer different perspectives from the same old news stories from the same old news networks. Both sites have links to English-edition online newspapers from other parts of the world, with an emphasis on the Middle East and Asia. OSINT News gains much by reading the reader "comments", which are mostly locals offering their viewpoints. It helps you feel the mood of the people on key issues in their country. The foreign newspaper's editorials and essays provide unique perspectives as well. Finally, the links to other good news sources are valuable info-finders.

World Newspapers

Foreign Newspapers

The next three sites OSINT News uses often. They are on-line Chinese newspapers which are available in English. These reliable Chinese newspaper osint sources are Inside China; South China Morning Post, based in Hong Kong and offers information on China and the Asian region in general; and The Straits Times, which is published in Singapore and covers China and the larger region of Asia. 



  

 
Robert Morton, M.Ed., Ed.S. is a member of the Association Of Former Intelligence Officers (AFIO) and writes about the U.S. Intelligence Community (IC). A portion of this site's ad revenues is donated to the AFIO. The views expressed on this site do not represent those of any organization he is a member of. We're always looking for different perspectives regarding the Intelligence Community- got a thought, article or comment you'd like to submit? Contact us on the secure Bpath Mail Form

55% OSINT POLL: IRAN-U.S. NAVAL BATTLE LIKELY OR WILL HAPPEN!

The results of last week's OSINT News POLL question  "WHAT'S THE LIKELIHOOD OF A U.S.-IRAN NAVAL BATTLE IN THE STRAIGHT OF HORMUZ?" results are in. A total of 47 people voted and 44% of them thought a U.S.-Iran naval battle was unlikely, 23% thought it was likely, 14% thought it very likely, and 17% indicated it will happen. So, 55% of respondents believed such a battle in the Straight of Hormuz is likely to happen or will,  indeed, happen:

NOT LIKELY 21 (44%)

LIKELY 11 (23%)

VERY LIKELY 7 (14%)

IT WILL HAPPEN! 8 (17%)

CIA AND DEFENSE INTEL AGENCY NEED CYBER COUNTERINTELLIGENCE GROUP (CCG)

Unbeknown to most, the electronic thingamabobs embedded in your car, personal computer, passport, TV remote, toll-booth transponders that receive your unencrypted EZ Pass or FasTrak, Smart phone, tablet, mp3 player, digital camera, mobile phone, or driver’s license may be providing information about you to a number of sources. These commonly used gadgets broadcast many aspect of your life without your knowledge; your EZ Pass info can be stolen or cloned; your car may monitor and store data about how well, or poorly, you drive; information off your driver‘s license info can be ascertained...the list is endless.

We, as individuals, are becoming increasingly dependent on these modern gadgets which can open up our personal lives to hackers.

Meet Corey Pearson, CIA Spymaster in the Caribbean!

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But, what about expanding this individual threat to a broader scale that involves national security threats? These "gadget" devices now outnumber PC’s on the Internet by 5 to 1. Their popularity is expanding exponentially and far outnumber our computer workstations. Each device has little ability to protect itself and hackers can enter your PC, or the Pentagon’s, through these gadgets. Yes, they control the brakes on your car and many applications on your smart phone and tablet, but they also dominate the valves in a chemical plant, make adjustments to electrical substations and make penetration to America‘s military, intelligence and critical infrastructure information systems fair game to hackers. The national electrical power grid, gas and oil pipeline, financial, air traffic-control, and telecommunication systems are practically defenseless against professional hackers. They have penetrated our power plants, stolen our latest submarine technology, robbed money from our banks, and have invaded the Pentagon’s secret communications systems. A new silent submarine drive system and new advanced radar system, each costing billions and requiring years of research to develop, have been pilfered by foreign intelligence service hackers. Our electrical network has already been attacked and an expensive electrical generator, nearly impossible to replace, was destroyed in Idaho as a demonstration by hackers.

I’m not referring to a high school kid with a 190 IQ…I’m referring to foreign spy networks and criminal organizations. The FBI estimates that China’s PLA has over 30,000 cyber spies, in addition to 150,000 in their private sector. Russia has similar numbers. America’s cyberspace is also being attacked by clandestine stations in the Middle East and France as well. Our government, intelligence services, and companies dealing with top-secret defense contracts are literally “glass houses”, transparent to our enemies.

An exaggeration? No, because the Chinese already downloaded over 20 terabytes of information from the Department of Defense (DOD), which is about one fifth of all data housed in the Library of Congress. What about Wiki-Leaks and its theft of classified diplomatic cables?

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The U.S. has classified computer systems that aren’t connected, meaning that users must use thumb drives to transfer classified info from one system to another. Many computer drives have been loaded with malware prior to sale. Some Afghan groups know how to download images in real-time from our satellites and drone UAV’s. Foreign-made microchips sold to defense companies were infected with viruses that allowed them to be disabled upon command from a malicious source. Counterfeit computer chips have already been discovered in our fighter aircraft and our own soldiers unknowingly used intentionally corrupted thumb drives that downloaded classified intel from laptops in Iraq.

Botnets or linked computers that take directions from unknown sources can shut down targeted systems and make tracking down the overseas perpetrators nearly impossible. They operate in countries with no laws against cyber crimes, such as Africa and Latin America. Any computer can be recruited into a botnet by running a malicious software. Such a “drive-by” download will exploit web browser vulnerabilities or trick you into running a Trojan horse program in an e-mail attachment. The hacker and his/her software ends up controlling your computer and is controlled by the botnet that he/she owns. Many groups of computers known as “zombie” computers are compromised by this software that’s controlled by tech-savvy hackers. These “drive-by” downloads occur by clicking on a seemingly innocuous website. The hackers, known as “botnet herders”, control the compromised computers from remote locations and are experts in computer programming and software creation.

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They communicate globally over the Internet via their herd of compromised “zombie” computers. Millions of botnets are regularly formed on the Internet. If they want, they can bring down individual computers or entire networks. Not surprisingly, in 2008, hackers pilfered customer files from the Royal Bank of Scotland and used them to withdraw $9 million from ATM’s throughout the United States…in a half hour’s time!

Unfortunately, in addition to robbing banks, they can penetrate our power plants, steal our latest submarine technology, and invade the Pentagon’s secret communications systems. Our national security infrastructure has already been permeated and the IC only has an inkling of what it doesn’t know. So, it’s time to assume the worst case scenario and react accordingly. How?

1. We need a “gathering” of all those in the Intelligence Community who deal with cyber security to form an organization supervised by the CIA's counter-intelligence. Let's call it the Cyber Counterintelligence Group(CCG).
2. Botnet owners and other computer-crime perpetrators who compromise national security must be aggressively sought and arrested. Congress should initiate this legislation and make it national law. Of the thousands of Internet crimes in the U.S each year, there were a measly 15 arrests or prosecutions. That must change.
3. ISP's must notify its customers when a computer has been tied into a botnet.
4. The newly-formed counterintelligence team noted in item 1 above, the CCG, be given complete computer access to all companies and entities that the Dept. of Defense and IC conducts business with. Appropriate action is taken when computers are found to be tied-in to a botnet.
5. There are opportunities for the DOD and IC to "make a sows ear into a silk purse" out of this cyber threat. If malicious botnets are uncovered by the CCG, then damaging disinformation (to our enemies) can be purposefully broadcast far, wide, and at the speed of light around the globe.
6. Make it written policy that the DOD and IC do not conduct business with companies and organizations hooked-in to botnets.



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7. If you are responsible for protecting national info from cyber theft, you must keep abreast of the evolving and expanding threat-base. 

Further reading:
 "Stuxnet trojan worm worries intelligence community"
"Computer hackers worry OSINT researchers"

Robert Morton, Ed., Ed.S. is a member of the Association Of Former Intelligence Officers (AFIO) and writes the online Spy novel series "Corey Pearson, CIA Spymaster in the Caribbean". Contact us on the SECURE CONTACT FORM

RETIRED CIA SPY REVEALS ESPIONAGE TRADECRAFT

This post has been updated. Click HERE to see new and enhanced version.

Read "Corey Pearson- CIA Spymaster in the Caribbean." An online spy series. Get to know Corey and how the CIA works. First 3 Episodes for free!

 

NSA'S SUPER SECRET ECHELON HUNTS DOWN TERRORISTS

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I was amazed at the recent media blitz accusations that the National Security Agency (NSA) is spying on Americans, and the word Echelon remained inaudible.

By the time you finished reading the short paragraph above, Echelon intercepted more than 70,000 phone calls, e-mails, and faxes across America. It does, indeed, exist inside the NSA...and I'm glad it does. I believe this global surveillance system, which has been operating for decades, is necessary to effectively combat terrorism. To demonstrate how this vast system works, I wrote a not-so "fictional" account of Stacey and her work inside NSA's Echelon surveillance system. 

Ironically how conservative and liberal politicians along the beltway are in favor of the NSA and FBI (CIA is also involved) recording cell phone and computer data. Of course, they never mentioned the word "Echelon", but rest assured, they all are aware of its existence and that it is the most pervasive global eavesdropping network in history. Today, Echelon will capture three billion electronic communications.

Read Corey Pearson- CIA Spymaster in the Caribbean and get to know Corey and how the CIA works. First 3 episodes are free!

So, let me introduce "Stacey" who works inside the NSA. To many within the U.S. Intelligence Community (IC), the near future is impossible to predict since it is so unpredictable. 
But, Stacey uses Echelon's preemptive capabilities to gain much insight into the future. Both liberal and conservative politicians will focus narrowly on the hoopla about the NSA spying just on cell phone calls because they don't want America to know about the larger, vast surveillance net. And, I agree with them, for Echelon provides the West with covert power shaping abilities into world affairs. 

OK, now I'll shut up...enjoy my story about Stacey:

Stacey walked into security clearance at the National Security Agency (NSA) in Fort Meade, Md. She differed from the thousands of other highly-trained and indoctrinated Echelon signals intelligence analysts. Immediately, she logged onto her computer terminal and entered a personal code. Her assignment was to hunt down a terrorist, codenamed “radical archer.” Britain's MI6 and MI5 learned that he had purchased shoulder-firing missiles that were stolen from a British army unit outside London. British and American intelligence kept their knowledge hush-hush and the citizens of both countries had no idea that these deadly missiles were in terrorist's hands.

"Radical archer" reportedly had many friends in Tunisia, including black market arms dealers. If knowledge is power, Stacey was about to become the most powerful person in the world. She revved up a mighty program codenamed “Dictionary” and tapped in 4-digit codes for the Tunis, Tunisia locale; people’s names and subject headings; and Internet addresses, telex cell phone, and fax numbers used by individuals, businesses, government offices and private organizations associated with “radical archer.” She pressed ENTER and connected to a synergistic, global interception and relay espionage system that can deftly pry into private and commercial communications. Stacey’s confidential Dictionary program stores the Dictionary lists of other ECHELON agencies from around the world. So, if she intercepts a keyword listed on Britain’s Dictionary, her computer would pick out and record the intercept, and send it to Britain’s spy headquarters, and vice versa.

Ground stations in the U.S., UK, Australia, Canada, New Zealand and in other nameless locations place their interception systems at each other’s disposal. Using this worldwide network of massive ground-based radio antennae, Stacey effortlessly infiltrated the group of Intel satellites encircling the earth used by telephone companies as well, enabling Stacey to pry into maritime communications off the Tunisian coast. Other keywords entered into Echelon's Dictionary sifted through millions of simultaneous phone calls, fax, and 90% of the world’s private e-mail addresses, filtering out information that could lead to the whereabouts of “radical archer.”


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Stacey tapped in other ground station codes, gaining access to Russian, Indonesian, and Latin American satellites. Amazingly, she intercepted thousands of phone calls to and from Tunisia that were transported by cable under the Mediterranean Sea. Navy Seals secretly installed intercept devices on the cables 300 feet down. Any one and anything that America’s intelligence community is concerned about can be targeted by Echelon. There is no medium of transporting information that cannot be listened to by Stacey. She operates in a legislation-free environment, above the law, and can effortlessly invade family businesses and personal civilian privacy. She’s accountable to no one. Her name, position, and salary remain nameless and traceless and her funding resources are buried deep within the Pentagon’s procurement budget and hide in the stock market under a street name account held by the CIA.  

Suddenly, a red light glowed, signaling a “hit” from the U.S. Embassy in Tunis, Tunisia where the CIA secretly installed sophisticated microwave receivers and processors. A phone call was intercepted from a hotel in la Goulette, a seaside town on the Mediterranean Sea outside Tunis. The complete, two-way phone conversation was printed out in English translation.

Then, another hit! Stacey’s heartbeat quickened. Dictionary keywords snatched information from an innocent-looking, red brick building at 8 Palmer Street in downtown London, England. Every telex passing in and out of London is intercepted by ECHELON computers operating within the walls of this charming, petite building with Daisy-filled window boxes. Stacey alerted her station chief, who analyzed the intercepts, matching the voice prints and subject matter with intel collected weeks ago from the Fusion Center in Trenton, NJ. CIA counterintelligence agents had been watching a warehouse owner there, who they deemed suspicious.

Stacey’s new intelligence was passed on to the Trenton Fusion Center, whereupon they determined that the time for surveillance and further intelligence-gathering by HUMINT agents was over…it was time to strike. An hour later, surprised passersby watched as a warehouse in New Jersey was raided by 185 local police and FBI agents, along with dozens of other unidentified men wearing hoods to cover their identities. The shoulder-firing missiles were not found.

Simultaneously, cargo ships were boarded and searched by 180 NYPD officers and FBI agents in New York Harbor. Dozens of the faceless soldiers wearing hoods accompanied them as well. The missiles were not there, either. The New Jersey warehouse owner and his brother were taken away in handcuffs.

A half hour later, halfway around the world, a dozen armed men from the CIA’s Operations Division accompanied the local CIA station chief into the lobby of an unknown hotel in la Goulette, Tunisia. They could recognize “radical archer” by sight and if they captured him, would use enhanced interrogation techniques, if necessary, to find out where the missiles were. 

Unfortunately for “radical archer,” he made a poor decision by visiting the hotel...they got him! He underestimated the real time, instant communication between ELINT and HUMINT technologies. The period between the time critical intelligence is gathered and when it is acted upon has been reduced to minutes... worldwide! Thanks to Echelon. The CIA agents escorted the terrorist out of the hotel, shackled and wearing a hood, and quickly placed him in the cargo space of a large van, with "La Goulette Caterers" printed on the side panels. 

Fifteen minutes later, "radial archer" divulged the location of the stolen missiles. The CIA agents, along with Tunis Police officials, raided a home on the city's outskirts. The two dozen British Starstreak missiles sealed in their launch tubes were found. All were intact. Each tube was attached to an aiming unit for firing. The terrorists could track the target using the aiming unit's optically stabilized sight, allowing them to compute the right trajectory to bring the missile together with the targets. Also found in the house were hand-written notes of flight numbers of American and British commercial airliners that fly into the Tunis-Carthage International Airport. 

Stacey stared at her computer screen and breathed a sigh of relief when the ordeal was over. She wiped the sweat from her brow, arose from the Echelon and Dictionary program computers and walked into a secure lounge in the bowels of the NSA. She poured herself a cup of coffee and watched the five TV screens. CNN, FOX and MSNBC broadcast  "Breaking News" about the simultaneous New Jersey warehouse and New York Harbor raids. No mention of what happened in Tunis, Tunisia was seen...or heard.

The news media would receive a well-vetted and sanitized press release from the Department of Homeland Security concerning the New Jersey and NY Harbor raids, to protect sources and methods.

She sipped coffee and watched the shallow coverage of what happened and thought about all the events that the American public would never learn about. She also know the news media would receive a well-vetted and sanitized press release from the Department of Homeland Security concerning the New Jersey and NY Harbor raids, to protect sources and methods. 

Stacey contemplated her role in the scheme of things and the super-secret work she does... Echelon's worldwide capabilities of spying on everyone’s computer, cell phones, faxes…whatever travels through the airways are swept up like dust off a carpet by a powerful vacuum cleaner. She wondered if the technology could, or would, someday be used for immoral purposes. 

Oh well, plenty of “what if’s”, she thought. With the proliferation of WMD’s and the vulnerability of our wide open society, Echelon may be Democracy’s only hope. Stacey felt pleased inside at the thought of how many lives were saved by her today. There's some things the general public does not need to know. 

So, that is Stacey's story. I think I understand why beltway partisan politics between conservatives and liberal is minimal regarding the FBI and NSA spying on our cell phone habits...and so does Stacey.

 Final Note: Several years back, the European Union made a deal whereby their secret services and spy agencies were enabled to use the Echelon system through the United States espionage service of the FBI and NSA.

PAKISTANI MILITANTS TO JOIN TALIBAN IN AFGHANISTAN

According to the Voice of America (VOA), they have received reports from Pakistan that say al-Qaida and Afghan Taliban leaders have asked Pakistani militants to stop targeting Pakistani security forces and instead concentrate on battling U.S.-led troops in Afghanistan.

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The reports quoted unnamed sources as saying that following the intervention of Afghan Taliban supreme commander Mullah Omar, the Afghan and Pakistani Taliban formed a joint five-member committee with other Pakistani militant groups.



A pamphlet issued in Pakistan's North Waziristan tribal region Sunday called on Pakistani militant groups to unite and "avoid unwarranted killings and kidnappings for ransom." The pamphlet said those found guilty would be subject to punishment under Islamic law.

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According to the reports, the five groups that pledged to unite and work with the Afghan Taliban include the powerful Haqqani network, the Maulvi Nazeer group, the Hakimullah Mehsud group, and the Maulana Waliur Rahman group, all operating from South Waziristan, as well as the Hafiz Gul Bahadur group based in North Waziristan.

Robert Morton, M.Ed., Ed.S. is a member of the Association Of Former Intelligence Officers (AFIO) and writes about the U.S. Intelligence Community (IC). A portion of this site's ad revenues are donated to the AFIO. The views expressed on this site do not represent those of any  organization he is a member of. We're always looking for different perspectives regarding the Intelligence Community- got a thought or comment? Contact us on the secure Bpath Mail Form.  

PAKISTANI STUDENT VISA PROGRAM A SECURITY THREAT

Several days ago, another Pakistani visa-toting student was arrested in the UK. He was carrying a document that would aid terrorists to commit an act of terrorism. The arrest occurred at the Birmingham Airport when he flew in to the UK from Dubai. After questioning by the West Midlands Police‘s Counter Terrorism Unit, he was released on bail. The Pakistani national, age 22, studying at a fully accredited college in the UK.

Meet "Corey Pearson, CIA Spymaster in the Caribbean"

The UK police and MI5 have remained tight-lipped on this latest episode at the Birmingham Airport and provided little details and it remains unknown whether the 22-year old Pakistani man was caught with the terrorist-aiding documents stemming from a routine customs search or if authorities were acting upon gathered intelligence. A flurry of questions from reporters revealed little details until, finally, a police spokesman stated that “The arrest was not as a result of any ongoing investigation and there was no immediate threat to the public”.

Of course, it may have been part of a larger investigation that has been going on and the police simply do not want to reveal it. This is fine, for the authorities may have “flipped” this man or may not want to reveal the sources that led to the arrest. And, they have all the right in the world to not reveal the full circumstances of the arrest. As Katharine Graham once said:

“We live in a dirty and dangerous world ... There are some things the general public does not need to know and shouldn't. I believe democracy flourishes when the government can take legitimate steps to keep its secrets and when the press can decide whether to print what it knows“

So, what are the implications for the UK, the US and the West? Damian Green, UK immigration minister believes the number of foreign students with visas is unsustainable. He’s disturbed that non-EU migrants who came to his country in 2004 consisted mostly of students, 185,000 to be exact, and five years later, 21% of them still remained! Green questioned why they were staying on, asked appropriate questions: “Why are they staying on and what were they remaining in the UK to do?

Fair questions to ask. Net migration to the UK increased by 33,000, to a whopping 196,000 in 2009 and the number of visas issued to students rose by 35% to 362,015. In fact, the Internal Home Office stated that over 90,000 people entered the UK every year to take courses that were below degree level at private institutions. True, the practice of accepting so many foreign students does add 12.5 billion pounds to the economy each year, but by not playing by the rules and having them leave when their visas expire results in threats to the UK’s citizenry.

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For example, the BBC Newsnight media found systemic fraud in the issuance of student visas method. Their investigators bought two bogus visa documents; one for 200 pounds, the other for only 150 pounds. If they were Pakistani al Qaeda members, they would have been guaranteed entrance into the UK.

The method of UK visa-issuance is straightforward. Foreign students must obtain a formal invitation to study in the UK from any one of 2,000 colleges that are on an approved list run by the Home Office. The “formal invitation” is an official document called a “visa letter”. By the way, there are many rows of shops that spring up and are listed on the Home Office’s approved list. A foreign student needs 40 points to gain entry into the UK, and the visa letter is 30 points. To get the much-needed 10 more points, the student needs to have several thousand pounds in a bank for 28 days, which he/she could easily borrow or be reimbursed with by al Qaeda or Hamas.

You get the picture! And, so did Newsnight media. They approached a small, private college in west London called Gateway2uk Education, which had an “A” rating from the UK Border Agency. For cash, Newsnight investigators bought the bogus visa letters from a secret office in London’s Wembley Park. All the details were filmed. A progression of young foreign men came and left while they were filming their investigators bought two bogus visa documents. In fact, one was sold by a former administrator of Gateway2uk Education!

This tip of the iceberg investigation by Newsnight should raise the fear hackles on MI5, MI6 and the Home Office…not to mention the U.S. Intelligence Community’s as well.

This endemic visa fraud in the UK may be the reason why students from Pakistan prefer pursuing higher education in the UK than in America. Of course, historical ties between the two countries made their educational systems more similar, the entry requirements much easier, and the resulting degrees much easier to use back in Pakistan. Khalil ur Rehman runs a visa consultancy business in Lahore, Pakistan, and stated that Pakistanis apply for schooling in the UK and Australia because the educational systems are similar. The UK’s educational alignment with Pakistan, plus the atmosphere in the U.S. after 9/11, resulted in a Pakistani trend to avoid the U.S.. Interestingly, though, most people emigrating from the UK travel to Australia, followed by the USA.

A decade ago, the UK censes recorded 747,285 Pakistani residence and over 55% of them were born in the UK. In 2009, people born in Pakistan living in the UK was 441,000 and the Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis in Pakistan estimated that 1.2 million Pakistanis live in the UK, about half the total number living in Europe.

Not surprisingly, Islam is the largest non-Christian religion in England. Over 1.54 million Muslims live in England and Wales…about 3.3% of the population. In 2009, 2.4 million Muslims lived in the UK, although a 2010 Pew Research Center study estimated that number to be just under 3 million.

There needs to be systemic changes in the UK regarding the Pakistani prevalence. Most are, no doubt, typical British citizens. However, Pakistan and Pakistanis have been connected to most of the major terrorist plots in the UK since 2001, Including the July 7, 2005 attacks in London. Finally, we all remember the 2009 terrorist sweep where a dozen UK residents were arrested. They traveled to and from Pakistan where they received training, logistical support, and moral affirmation by fellow radicals. Of the 12 arrested, 11 were Pakistani nationals.

At an AFIO seminar in Tyson Corners, Va., I picked up the book "Londonistan" by Melanie Phillips. It was a great read and I recommend it highly. Phillips shows how Britain's imperial policy of "benign neglect" towards radical Islamist groups in the 1980s and 1990s came close to malign complicity in the activities of some of the most determined terrorist organizations ever to emerge in Europe.

Author Phillips describes the establishment and growth of Muslim extremist groups in London as well as the administrative incompetence and cultural weakness that still permits it to happen.

"Londonistan" is described as a last-minute warning for Britain and for much of the free world...it is a  courageous exposé of what is happening in Britain and is a last minute wake up call for the British to act now before it is too late.

The suicide bombings described above that were carried out in London in 2005 by British Muslims revealed an alarming network of Islamist terrorists and their sympathizers. Under the noses of British intelligence, London became the European hub for the promotion, recruitment and financing of Islamist terror and extremism - so much so that it has been mockingly dubbed 'Londonistan'. Melanie Phillips pieces together the story of how Londonistan developed as a result of the collapse of British self-confidence and national identity and its resulting paralysis by multiculturalism and appeasement. The result is an ugly climate in Britain of irrationality and defeatism, which now threatens to undermine the alliance with America and imperil the defence of the free world. I recommend this book by Melanie Phillips:

So, what are the implications for the UK…and America…of this Pakistani situation. How can we guarantee the safety of the citizenry, including the mostly law-abiding Pakistani public, from the radical Islamic segment?

How about these ideas:

• Get rid of sub-degree courses from the visa application process.
• Strictly enforce all visa time-duration limits instead of studying why foreign student guests remain in the UK far past the time the visa time limit expires.
• Students in the UK must play by the rules and obey the nation’s laws. If they are suspected of terrorist-related affiliation activities… they’re gone!
• Visa documents, formal invitation letters, visa letters, and the bank accounts of visa applicants should be scrutinized more. Students should not be allowed to take out loans to earn the last 10 points needed for acceptance, unless the loans are from a British banking institution. This would protect the many decent Pakistani students wishing to further their education in the UK.
• All above-mentioned documents should be uniformly coded and impossible to reproduce. The UK government has introduced a new electronic system to combat visa fraud. Complement this system with microchip-embedded visa documents to be carried at all times. 
• The CIA, NSA and other members of the U.S. Intelligence Community (IC) out-source analytical and operational duties to private contractors. Similarly, MI5 can contract with private investigators and other companies in the UK to provide surveillance and classified operations to uncover visa fraud.
• The undercover operation conducted by Newsnight media should be duplicated on a continual, never-ending basis.

See also:
OSINT SUGGESTS US/PAKISTANI RELATIONS IMPROVING

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Robert Morton, Ed., Ed.S. is a member of the Association Of Former Intelligence Officers (AFIO) and writes the online Spy series "Corey Pearson, CIA Spymaster in the Caribbean." The views expressed on this site do not represent those of any organization he is a member of. Contact him on the SECURE CONTACT FORM