The CIA Is Not The Only Spy Agency Giving 'Ghost Money' To Afghan President Karzai

Afghan President Hamid Karzai. Reuters

Turns Out British Spies Were Giving Bags of Cash to Karzai, Too -- The Atlantic

A week after we learned that the CIA delivered bags full of cash to Afghan President Hamid Karzai in exchange for his cooperation, the United Kingdom's MI6 admitted to doing the same thing this weekend. While the British spies say they forked over just a fraction of what their American counterparts did, the new information proves that this quasi-bribery scheme was hardly an isolated incident. In fact, it sounds like it was a big part of the allies' operation in Afghanistan. This so-called "ghost money" was evidently a big part of Karzai's peacekeeping strategy, however. The leader called the CIA and MI6 contributions an "easy source of petty cash" for dealing with the Taliban.

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More News On MI6 Admitting Giving Cash Payments To Afghan President Karzai

MI6 'handing bundles of cash to Hamid Karzai' -- The Telegraph
MI6 ‘ghost money’ sent to Hamid Karzai amid massive Afghan corruption -- RT
MI6 admits ‘bundles’ of cash handed out to Afghan leadership -- Voice of Russia

My Comment: I suspect that the CIA and MI6 are not the only ones who are giving money to President Karzai.

Was Poisoned Russian Spy Alexander Litvinenko A Triple Agent?

Triple Agent! Poisoned Russian Spy Alexander Litvinenko Was Working For British AND Spanish Intelligence, Says Wife -- The Daily Mail

* Former KGB agent was working for both MI6 and at their behest Spanish intelligence services at the time of his death
* Alexander Litvinenko was advising on how closely linked Russian Mafia were to the country's government
* Spy was poisoned after allegedly having tea with former KGB colleagues
* Family claim he may have been poisoned in bid to silence him or as warning
* Lugovoy - now Russian MP - was double crossing his government and working alongside Mr Litvinenko in handing over information to Spain

Poisoned former KGB spy Alexander Litvinenko was effectively a triple agent working for MI6 and the Spanish secret service, it was claimed yesterday.

He was on the payroll of MI6 and had a handler called ‘Martin’, a barrister for his widow Marina said.

The Spanish secret service was also bankrolling his espionage activities and both stipends were paid into a joint bank account he held with his wife, it was said.

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More News On Poisoned Russian Spy Alexander Litvinenko

Strange truth of a life caught up with MI6’s ‘Martin’ and the KGB -- The Independent
Litvinenko death: Russian spy 'was working for MI6' -- BBC
Poisoned Russian Alexander Litvinenko was MI6 agent: lawyer -- The Australian
Report: Dead Russian dissident was MI6 spy -- UPI
Alexander Litvinenko murder: British evidence 'shows Russia involved' -- The Guardian
Russian State Role Seen in Death of Poisoned Spy -- New York Times
Lawyer Ties Russia to Ex-Agent's Death -- Wall Street Journal
Russian state involved in Litvinenko death -- News.com.au
Russian state culpable in Litvinenko death: UK lawyer -- Reuters
Alexander Litvinenko inquest: what are the issues at stake? -- Joshua Rozenberg, The Guardian

MI6: We Do Not Assassinate Al Qaeda Leaders

MI6 Told Agent It Couldn't Kill al-Qaeda Leader 'Because Assassinations Are A Breach Of British Law' -- Daily Mail

* Morten Storm could have murdered Anwar al-Awlaki but claims he was told by London: 'We don’t involve ourselves in killings abroad'
* The Dane then took his plans to the CIA and Britain cut him off completely
* Al-Awlaki preached to the 9/11 hijackers and inspired 7/7 bombers
* Storm was so close to him he set Anwar al-Awlaki up with his third wife in an elaborate plot to track him down and kill him
* America eventually assassinated him in a 2011 drone attack

An MI6 agent who managed to infiltrate al-Qaeda in a bid to kill one of its leaders was told by his British bosses they would not assassinate him because it could be against the law.

Terrorist Anwar al-Awlaki was encouraging attacks on the West and also recruiting young Muslims to carry them out but despite being able to murder him Morten Storm was blocked by London, it has emerged.

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Update #1: MI6 told agent they could not kill al-Qaeda leader -- The Telegraph
Update #2: Spy: MI6 wouldn't kill al-Qaida leader -- UPI

My Comment: You mean James Bond's "license to kill" is a fiction !?!?!?!?!

MI6 Is Looking For Recruits

MI6, The Not-So Secret Service: Agency Opts To Advertise For Staff Using Full Page Newspaper Advert -- Daily Mail

* The tongue-in cheek advert taken out in The Sunday Times rubbishes the notion of James Bond-style 'high speed chases and shoot-outs'
* The agency says that the qualities it is looking for are far more ordinary

You may have thought recruitment to MI6 was wrapped in a veil of secrecy – involving mysterious brown envelopes or a tap on the shoulder.

But the Secret Intelligence Service has decided to take the more traditional approach of advertising in a national newspaper.

The tongue-in-cheek advert, taken out in The Sunday Times, rubbishes the notion of James Bond-style ‘high-speed chases and shoot-outs’, instead saying the qualities looked for are ‘far more ordinary’.

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My Comment: Shaken but not stirred please.

Britain's Spy Chiefs Told To Focus On Cyber Attacks Not Terrorism

Concentrate On Cyber Attacks, Not Terrorism, Osborne Tells Spy Chiefs -- The Telegraph

The Chancellor is understood to have pushed MI5 and MI6 to consider devoting more money and manpower to defending Britain from cyber attacks and espionage from countries such as China.

British intelligence agencies’ counter-terrorism work could be scaled back after an intervention from George Osborne.

However, senior ministers and officials are resisting pressure from the Treasury, warning that cutting counter-terrorism spending is too much of a risk.

MI6, the Secret Intelligence Service, is said to be fighting a fierce rearguard action against any move to reallocate its counter-terrorism resources. Theresa May, the Home Secretary, is also said to be cautious about relaxing Britain’s defences against extremist attacks.

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My Comment: Cyber security is important .... but .... international terrorism still exists, and that conflict is still ongoing.

MI6 Chief Told To Stop 'Bragging' Over Iran Nuclear Claims

MI6 Chief Sir John Sawers Told 'You're Not In Spooks' And To Stop 'Bragging' Over Iran Nuclear Claims -- The Telegraph

The head of the Secret Intelligence Service has been accused by a Liberal Democrat frontbencher of demonstrating a “lack of judgement” for “bragging” about MI6’s role in slowing Iran’s nuclear programme.

The head of the Secret Intelligence Service has been accused by a Liberal Democrat frontbencher of demonstrating a “lack of judgement” for “bragging” about MI6’s role in slowing Iran’s nuclear programme.

Baroness Falkner of Margravine, also suggested that Sir John Sawers had behaved like he was in an episode of “the TV programme Spooks” and said it would be best if a “veneer of silence” descended on MI6.

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My Comment: Baroness Falkner of Margravine is right .... Sir John Sawers is 'bragging' and taking claim for something that maybe he should have kept quiet about.

MI6 Chief: Iran Two Years From Having An Atomic Bomb

British Spy Chief Says Iran Is Two Years From Nuclear Bomb -- Christian Science Monitor

Sir John Sawers, the head of MI6, said the British spy agency has tried unsuccessfully to thwart Iran's efforts to develop a nuclear weapon and warned that US and Israeli retaliation was likely.

In a rare public remark, the head of Britain’s spy agency said that British agents had stopped Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons as early as 2008. But despite the spy agency's efforts, the Islamic Republic is two years from getting an atomic arsenal, MI6 chief Sir John Sawers said.

If this happens, Israel and the US are likely to take, or seriously consider, military action against Iran, he added.

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More News On Britain's 'Take' On Iran's Nuclear Program

We've thwarted Iran's nuke plans, says MI6... but Tehran is only 'two years away from a bomb' -- Daily Mail
British Spymaster Says Iran Is 2 Years From Nuclear Bomb Capability -- New York Times
Sir John Sawers, Britain spy chief: Iran only 2 years away from nuclear weapons -- report -- Global Post
MI6 chief Sir John Sawers: 'We foiled Iranian nuclear weapons bid' -- The Telegraph
UK says it foiled Iran nuke weapon drive -- Telegraph
MI6 'foiled' Iran nuclear-weapon drive -- AFP
MI6 exposes the truth about Iran's quest for nuclear weapons -- Con Coughlin, The Telegraph
MI6 'claims to have foiled Iran nuclear weapons bid' - report -- Julian Borger, The Guardian

MI6 Chief: 'We Foiled Iranian Nuclear Weapons Bid'

MI6 Chief Sir John Sawers: 'We Foiled Iranian Nuclear Weapons Bid' -- The Telegraph

MI6 agents have foiled Iran’s attempts to obtain nuclear weapons but the Middle Eastern state will succeed in arming itself within the next two years, the head of the Secret Intelligence Service has warned.

Sir John Sawers said that covert operations by British spies had prevented the Iranians from developing nuclear weapons as early as 2008.

However, the MI6 chief said it was now likely they would achieve their goal by 2014, making a military strike from the US and Israel increasingly likely.

Sir John gave a secret briefing to the Cabinet in March about Iran’s growing military threat but this is the first time his views on the issue have been made public.

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My Comment: I am surprised that they are making these comments and past operations public. It tells me that the assets that they had used in the past are probably no longer there, and as a result are not able to do anything today.

The Mysterious Death Of A British MI6 Agent

British Spy In Bag Was Poisoned Or Suffocated, Coroner Rules -- CNN

London (CNN) -- A British spy found dead at his home in 2010 -- his naked body padlocked inside a large red carrying bag stowed in the bathtub -- was either suffocated or poisoned, but it is unlikely his death will ever be satisfactorily explained, coroner Fiona Wilcox said Wednesday.

Gareth Williams' death was "unnatural and likely to have been criminally mediated," she ruled.

He probably entered the bag alive, Wilcox said, reading her ruling to a court around the corner from the home of the world's most famous fictional detective, Sherlock Holmes.

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More News On The Death Of MI6 Agent Gareth Williams

Detective: highly likely that third party was involved in death of MI6 spy Gareth Williams -- The Telegraph
Coroner says death of British intelligence worker may never be explained -- L.A. Times
UK 'spy in bag' probably unlawfully killed -- AFP
Criminal cause likely in "spy in bag" death -- Reuters
MI6 codebreaker 'probably killed' -- Sydney Morning Herald
Gareth Williams's death was 'criminally mediated', says coroner -- The Guardian
MI6 learns lessons of Gareth Williams death -- The Guardian
MI6 death: Failings 'exacerbated' Williams' family's grief -- BBC

MI6 - Gaddafi Intelligence Alliance Revealed

Tony Blair at a meeting with Libyan leader Colonel Muammar Gaddafi at his desert base in 2007. The Telegraph

Western Allies Of MI6 'Kept In Dark’ Over Mosque Sting Plan -- The Telegraph

MI6 and Col Muammar Gaddafi’s Libyan intelligence service set up a radical mosque in a Western European city in order to lure in al-Qaeda terrorists, it can be revealed.

The joint operation, which was undertaken as Britain attempted to secure a deal with Col Gaddafi to reopen diplomatic relations, shows how closely Britain’s Secret Intelligence Service was prepared to work with his regime’s spies despite widespread allegations of human rights abuses.

At the time, Britain was encouraging Col Gaddafi to give up plans for weapons of mass destruction. Four months later, the dictator and Tony Blair, then prime minister, struck the 2004 “deal in the desert” which ended Libya’s pariah status.

The cooperation extended to recruiting an agent to infiltrate an al-Qaeda terrorist cell in the Western European city, which cannot be named for security reasons.

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My Comment: Talk about making a deal with the devil.

CIA And MI6 Helped Gaddafi

Secret Libyan Files Claim MI6 And The CIA Aided Human Rights Violations -- The Guardian

Intelligence helped Gaddafi regime track and apprehend dissidents, according to files seized from Tripoli offices.



British and US intelligence agencies built up close links with Muammar Gaddafi and handed over detailed information to assist his regime, according to secret files found in Libyan government offices.



The documents claim that MI6 supplied its counterparts in Libya with details on exiled opponents living in the UK, and chart how the CIA abducted several suspected militants before handing them over to Tripoli.



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More News On MI6 And The CIA Aiding Gaddafi

CIA, MI6 'helped' Gadafy -- Irish Times

Files show MI6, CIA ties to Libya: reports -- Sydney Morning Herald

Libya: secret dossier reveals Gaddafi's UK spy links -- The Telegraph

Libya: Gaddafi regime's US-UK spy links revealed -- BBC

Documents shed light on CIA, Gadhafi spy ties -- CNN

Gaddafi Had Close Ties With US-UK Intelligence Agencies: HRW -- IBTimes

Documents: CIA, MI6 worked with Libya -- UPI

CIA, MI6 helped Gaddafi on dissidents: rights group -- Reuters

Documents reveal Western spy agencies' ties to Libyan regime of Muammar Gaddafi -- The Australian/AP

Libyan intel docs show ties to CIA renditions -- CBS

Files Note Close C.I.A. Ties to Qaddafi Spy Unit -- New York Times

Tripoli Files Show CIA Working With Libya -- Wall Street Journal

MI6 and British Government worked closely with Gaddafi's regime (and even helped him write his speeches) -- Daily Mail

Eighty-Nine Questions: What Did Libya Do for the C.I.A.? -- Amy Davidson, New Yorker

British Detainees In Guantánamo Bay Received Approximately £12m

MI5 And MI6 Pay Out £12m Britons Held In Guantánamo -- The Telegraph

MI5 and MI6 agreed to pay around £12 million from their own budgets to former British detainees in Guantánamo Bay, The Daily Telegraph can disclose.

The payments were made as Sir Peter Ricketts, the National Security Adviser, warned that spending cuts could damage morale in the intelligence services and threaten security.

Details of the payments are contained in the accounts for the security and intelligence agencies, which were published this week.

They show that the agencies spent £13.7 million on “losses and special payments” in the 12 months to the end of March this year.

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My Comment: You work for MI5 or Mi6, and former Guantanamo detainees end up earning more than you .... yup .... morale is going into the toilet.

Europe Should Start Spying On It's European Allies

Britain should start spying on Eurozone neighbours, former MI6 chief says. Sir Richard Dearlove Photo: JOHN TAYLOR

It's OK To Spy On Our EU Neighbours, Claims Ex-Head Of MI6 -- The Daily Mail

Britain should not be 'squeamish' about using espionage to protect its financial security, claims a former spy chief.

Sir Richard Dearlove, ex-chief of MI6, said possible harm to Britain's economy caused by the eurozone crisis should be investigated.

He told the Global Strategy Forum in London that while bankers should be able to handle economic turbulence they 'might need help from time to time' on such matters.

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Update: Britain should start spying on Eurozone neighbours, former MI6 chief says -- The Telegraph

My Comment: Sir Richard Dearlove has been out of the game for 7 years, who is saying that Britain is not spying on its European allies today?

MI6 And The CIA. What Are The Differences?

Britain's MI6 Operates A Bit Differently Than CIA -- Washington Post

"The most draining aspect of my job is reading, every day, intelligence reports describing the plotting of terrorists who are bent on maiming and murdering people in this country."

Those words, spoken last week, come from the first public speech given by a director of Britain's Secret Intelligence Service, MI6. Instead of Dame Judi Dench, who plays the role in James Bond films, Sir John Sawers, the real director of the legendary 101-year-old spy service, appeared before the Society of Editors in London. Early in his career, Sawers was an MI6 operative in the Middle East.

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My Comment: This article is a fascinating look at how the two intelligence bureaucracies work. What is my take .... British intelligence (MI6) has an incredible track record, and is probably the intelligence agency that other countries should emulate. But I do acknowledge that the U.S. intelligence community is different .... made up of numerous organizations with a worldwide reach, saddled with numerous responsibilities .... and coupled with a massive budget to back it up.

Read all of this Washington Post article .... it is worth the time.

Britain's Top Spy Gives First Ever Public Speech

John Sawers, the head of the British Secret Intelligence Service (SIS), often known as MI6. © REUTERS/ TOBY MELVILLE

British Spy Chief Makes First Public Speech For Secret Service In 100 Years -- RIA Novosti

The head of the British Secret Intelligence Service (SIS), often known as MI6, John Sawers, became the first spy chief in 100 years to deliver a public speech.

In the wake of the recent torture scandals involving Britain's MI6 and its military branch MI5, Sir Sawers in his speech to the Society of Editors focused on controversial torture practices.

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More News On MI6 Chief's First Public Speech

Sir John Sawers's speech – full text: Transcript of today's first public speech by a serving MI6 chief -- The Guardian

MI6 chief admits to his 'dilemma' over torture -- The Independent
U.K. Spy-Agency Head Dismisses Torture Allegations in First Public Speech -- Bloomberg
Sir John Sawers denies MI6 role in 'abhorrent' torture -- BBC
MI6 chief says torture poses 'dilemmas' for UK -- AFP
MI6 'nothing to do with torture' -- Press Association
Proliferation Poses Broader Danger Than Terrorists, MI6 Chief Says -- Global Security Newswire
MI6 chief warns disclosures may hit intelligence sharing -- Irish Times
MI6 chief speech: Iraq failings show importance of intelligence -- The Telegraph
Britain's spy boss makes first public speech -- Reuters
Britain's top spy gives first ever public speech -- Xinhuanet
Defending Secrecy, British Spy Chief Goes Public -- New York Times
UK spy chief defends secrecy in 1st public speech -- AP
Sir John Sawers: the spy who came in from the Foreign Office -- The Telegraph
Sir John Sawers: profile of MI6 chief -- The Telegraph
MI6 must be trusted to keep its secrets -- Con Coughlin, The Telegraph
British Secret Service: facts -- The Telegraph
Factbox: Britain's intelligence services -- Reuters

The FBI Joins In The "Murder" Investigation Of A MI6 Spy

Mr Williams, a computing and maths prodigy whose funeral on Friday was attended by Sir John Sawers, the head of MI6, had made regular trips to the United States Photo: SWNS

FBI Joins Investigation Into MI6 Spy's Death -- The Telegraph

The FBI has joined the hunt for the mystery 'Mediterranean' couple linked to the death of the MI6 spy found dead in his London safe house.

The bureau has employed face recognition technology at US airports in a bid to establish whether Gareth Williams travelled in and out of the US any stage with a couple answering the description of two people Scotland Yard have appealed to come forward in connection with his death.

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My Comment: I suspect that the FBI are not the only law enforcement/intelligence agency involved in this investigation.

As to what is my take .... Gareth Williams must have had accessed to some very sensitive information to warrant this type of investigation in his death.

MI6 Secrets Revealed

A man leafs through a copy of The History of the Secret Intelligence Service at its launch at the Foreign Office in central London, September 21, 2010. The book's author, historian Keith Jeffery, was given access to Britain's MI6 archives up to 1949, the first time the inteligence service's files have ever been made available for research. Credit: Reuters/Andrew Winning

Secrets And Spies: Book Takes A Peek Inside Classified Files Of MI6: Official History Of Intelligence Service Is Published -- The Independent

Mansfield Cumming, the monocle-wearing founder of MI6, made total secrecy the essence of his organisation. He would, one assumes, have been horrified at the unveiling yesterday of the secrets he and his successors cherished for 40 years – from plots to undermine Bolshevism to the use of agents' semen as invisible ink.

The first and – if the famously publicity-shy managers of the Secret Intelligence Service (SIS) get their way – only official history of the world's oldest foreign espionage organisation was unveiled yesterday.

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More News On MI6 Secrets

MI6 author on 'holy grail' of the Secret Service archives -- BBC
MI6 secrets revealed in first official history -- BBC
History of early MI6 published -- BBC
History of MI6 detailed in new book -- BBC
UK spies publish history, display trove of gear -- Reuters
UK spies spill secrets in official history of MI6 -- AP
New book documents early years of MI6 -- AFP
Real 'James Bond' Revealed In MI6 Archives -- The Telegraph
Revealed: How James Bond was based on a real life MI6 special agent ... white tuxedo and all -- The Daily Mail
Historian who explored MI6 secrets -- The Guardian
MI6 Spies Wallowed in Edwardian Nudes, Gaffes, Champagne: Books -- Bloomberg
Graham Greene, Arthur Ransome and Somerset Maugham all spied for Britain, admits MI6 -- The Guardian
MI6 'used bodily fluids as invisible ink' -- The Telegraph

The Life And Death Of A British Spy

Murdered British Spy: Life Of A Modern Day Spook -- The Telegraph

Murdered in a Pimlico flat registered to a mysterious company, his body found in a sports bag in the bathroom: Gareth Williams died a spy's death.

But while his death was the stuff of James Bond films, his life – and that of most modern day spooks – was a little more mundane.

Mr Williams worked for the Government’s top secret communications monitoring agency, GCHQ – reputed to be the most secretive of Britain's three national security agencies.

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More News On The Death Of MI6 Agent Gareth Williams

For your eyes only: The intriguing truth about life as a 21st century spook -- The Daily Mail
Murdered British spy: mystery over how GCHQ worker was killed -- The Telegraph
Murdered British spy found stuffed into sports bag in bath of London flat -- The Telegraph
MI6 worker murdered, stuffed in a bag and dumped in a bath -- The Guardian
MI6 worker Gareth Williams was an 'exceptional' pupil -- BBC
Murdered British spy: friends describe Gareth Williams as a 'gifted loner' -- The Telegraph
GCHQ: the most secretive service -- The Telegraph

The Death Of A British Spy Hits MI6 Hard

British Spy Found Stabbed To Death In His Bath Yards From MI6 HQ 'Was Killed Two Weeks Ago' -- The Daily Mail

* Body had multiple stab wounds and was decomposing
* Flat owned by private company called New Rodina, which means 'motherland' in Russian
* Acting PM Clegg to be briefed on spy's death today
* Dead man was employed at govt 'listening post'

Detectives investigating the murder of a British spy said today he could have been killed up to two weeks ago.

The body of Gareth Williams, 31, was discovered stuffed in a large sports bag in his bath in a flat just a few hundred yards from the headquarters of MI6.

It is understood Mr Williams had been stabbed, possibly several times, and his body was decomposing when it was found.

Elsewhere in the top-floor flat - in a bizarre ritualistic scene - his mobile telephone and a collection of SIM cards were carefully laid out.

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More News On The Murder Of An MI6 Officer

Body of suspected British spy found -- AP
Murdered British spy found stuffed into sports bag in bath of London flat -- The Telegraph
'British spy' found dead identified as Foreign Office worker -- The Guardian
MI6 worker found at London flat 'had been dead weeks' -- BBC
Body of Missing British Spy Found Stuffed in Bag in His Apartment -- FOX News
MI6 man found murdered in London apartment; possible 'spy' stabbed several times: reports -- New York Daily News
Murdered British spy found in bathtub 'was stabbed to death' -- New York Post

Top MI6 Spy: Terrorism Less Serious Than Bird Flu

From The Register:

Counter Terror Expo A former Assistant Chief of the UK's shadowy Secret Intelligence Service (SIS, aka MI6) has played down the threat of jihadi terrorism, saying that other dangers are more serious. The ex-spy also said that global counterterrorism database plans were "unlikely ever to succeed".

Nigel Inkster, who was an SIS officer from 1975 to 2006 and rose to be Assistant Chief and Director of Operations and Intelligence, was speaking this morning at a counterterrorism conference in London.

On the subject of international counterterrorist databases, always a hot-button issue among those concerned with privacy and individual rights, Inkster had reassuring words.

"There are limits to what we can sensibly aspire to," he said.

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My Comment: Jihadi terrorism is where most of the terrorism in the world originates from .... and it is important right now because of the conflicts in Iraq, Afghanistan and else where. He asserts that there are more serious threats out there than terrorism .... of course there is, but lets focus on the ones that are actively killing our people now.

His assertion on databases is interesting. It was through the use of databases in Iraq that helped to identify and curtail insurgent and terrorist activity. When people were screened for explosive residue .... and they turned out a positive response .... these suspects were put into a database. Repeat offenders were then watched and questioned.