Spying

'Russian spies aggressively seeking Western technology as sanctions bite'

Russia's intelligence agencies have grown more aggressive in their efforts to steal Western technology and defense secrets as sanctions squeeze the country's wartime economy, three senior European intelligence officials told The Associated Press. Moscow's agents are building fake companies, recruiting middlemen and deploying cyber spies and hackers who are gathering information that could also be used to attack key infrastructure, they said. Four years of international sanctions have hampered Moscow's ability to procure machinery, technology and research from Europe, while the grinding war in Ukraine has taxed key industries and pushed the country toward a potential financial crisis. "They really know what they need," and are putting "serious effort" into acquiring advanced machine tools, factory equipment, research and dual-use technology, said Christoffer Wedelin, deputy head of operations at the Swedish Security Service. Russia seeks high-end research, defense technology and ...

Former California mayor pleads guilty to acting as agent of Chinese govt

A former Southern California mayor pleaded guilty on Friday to acting as an illegal agent of the Chinese government. Eileen Wang, who stepped down as the mayor of Arcadia earlier this month, was charged in April with one count of acting in the United States as an illegal agent of a foreign government. She pleaded guilty to doing the bidding of Chinese officials by sharing articles favourable to Beijing, without prior notification to the US government as required by law. The 56-year-old was elected in November 2022 to a five-person city council, from which the mayor is selected on a rotating basis. Federal prosecutors say Wang's illegal conduct occurred from late 2020 to 2022. Arcadia city officials and Wang's attorneys have said it ended before she took office. Arcadia is located about 13 miles (21 kilometres) northeast of Los Angeles. The city of about 53,000 is majority Asian and has a high concentration of Chinese residents. Wang appeared in downtown LA federal court to enter he

Teenager apprehended in Punjab for sharing info with Pakistani handlers

A 15-year-old boy has been apprehended in Punjab's Pathankot for allegedly sharing information about sensitive locations with Pakistani handlers, police said on Tuesday According to police, the boy was radicalised on a social media platform. Police had received information that the boy was in contact with and was providing information concerning the country's security to Pakistan military officers, ISI and frontal organisations running terror modules in that country, Pathankot Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Daljinder Singh Dhillon said. On the basis of this information, the boy was apprehended on Monday and questioned, the SSP told reporters in Pathankot. The SSP said the boy had lost his father, who resided in J-K, over an year back and suspected that he was murdered. Police investigations did not find that the boy's father was murdered but the boy suspected so and it affected his psyche, the SSP said. The boy visited many social media platforms and during this he fell in

EU nations plan to restrict Russian diplomats' travel: Here's why

European intelligence agencies have often accused Russian spies of carrying out arson, cyberattacks, drone intrusions, and other sabotage acts in Nato countries

Police arrest Youtuber Wasim Akram in Palwal, allege espionage for ISI

Police in Haryana's Palwal have arrested a YouTuber named Wasim Akram on charges of spying for Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and its High Commission, officials said on Thursday. According to police, Akram, a resident of Kot village in Palwal district who posted videos on the history of Mewat on YouTube, was arrested on Wednesday. He had been in touch with Pakistani agents for the past three years and allegedly provided SIM cards to them, they said. Police have found several incriminating WhatsApp chats from Akram's phone, some of which were deleted, and the cyber cell is in the process of retrieving them from his phone. Palwal police had arrested another Pakistani spy, Taufiq, last week, who gave the cops the lead about Akram. Akram came in contact with Pakistani agent Danish in 2021 while applying for a visa to the neighbouring country. Although his family denied Akram travelling to Pakistan, several facts emerged during his interrogation, which point to his ...

UK's MI6 agency launches dark web portal 'Silent Courier' to recruit spies

MI6 said it was harnessing the anonymity of the dark web for the first time to allow potential agents living in Russia and around the world to mitigate the risks against them

UK police arrest suspects as Lithuania exposes Russia-linked sabotage plot

British, Lithuanian and Latvian authorities have detained people on suspicion of carrying out intelligence-related activities on behalf of Russia in the latest of a string of incidents to be linked to Moscow by Western officials. The Metropolitan Police said Thursday they arrested three people just east of London on suspicion of spying for Russia. On Wednesday, Lithuanian prosecutors said they uncovered and detained a Russia-linked network of suspects who are alleged to have planned and organized arson attacks in various European countries. Meanwhile, Latvia's security service said it detained a man suspected of passing intelligence about the military to Russia. British police said they arrested two men, aged 41 and 46, and a 35-year-old woman in the county of Essex. They searched two addresses and later released the suspects on bail. Lithuania's prosecutor general office said suspects in a separate case are accused of sending packages containing homemade explosive devices to other

Pakistan using phone tapping, firewall systems to spy on citizens: Amnesty

Calling it one of the 'most comprehensive examples of state surveillance outside China', Amnesty said that Pakistan's growing surveillance network was built with the help of Chinese and Western tech

30-year-old suspected Pakistani spy held in Rajasthan's Jaisalmer

After his mobile was checked over suspicious activity, Khan was detained by MI personnel and was later handed over to the police on Tuesday night

DRDO guest house manager in Jaisalmer arrested on charges of spying for ISI

Prasad will be presented in court on Wednesday, where he will be taken on remand, and further interrogation will be conducted

DRDO guest house manager held on suspicion of spying for Pakistan

Manager of a Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) guest house was detained in Jaisalmer district on suspicion of spying for Pakistan, police said Tuesday. Mahendra Prasad, a resident of Uttarakhand's Almora, was posted as the manager of DRDO guest house in Chandan area of Jaisalmer. "He was detained on Monday. A joint interrogation will be conducted today," Superintendent of Police, Jaisalmer, Abhishek Shivhare said. "He is suspected to have provided sensitive information related to strategic operations and activities in the region," the police said. DRDO conducts tests and trials of missiles and weapons in Pokaran firing range in Jaisalmer, and experts and officials involved in the process stay in the guest house.

1 million subscribers, Pakistan links: Another YouTuber held for 'spying'

Punjab YouTuber Jasbir Singh arrested for alleged espionage and terror links, amid growing scrutiny of online creators with connections to Pakistani operatives

NIA raids 15 sites in 8 states after CRPF trooper held in spy case

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Saturday conducted a massive search operation at 15 locations in eight states across the country in a Pakistan-linked espionage case. The searches followed arrest of now-suspended trooper of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) for spying for Pakistan, officials said. Saturday's searches were conducted at the premises of suspects linked with Pakistan Intelligence Operatives (PIOs) in Delhi, Maharashtra (Mumbai), Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Assam and West Bengal, they said. NIA teams have seized several electronic gadgets and sensitive financial documents, along with other incriminating materials, during the searches, the officials said. These are being extensively examined for clues to the espionage racket being run by Pakistan-based operatives as part of an anti-India terror conspiracy, a statement issued by the NIA said. As per NIA investigations, the suspects targeted in today's searches had connections with Pakista

After Haryana YouTuber, UP businessman nabbed for spying for Pakistan

A UP businessman has been arrested for allegedly spying for Pakistan's ISI, days after a YouTuber was held over similar charges amid rising India-Pakistan tensions

ICJ verdict ignored? Why Kulbhushan Jadhav still can't appeal in Pakistan

Kulbhushan Jadhav, an Indian national in a Pakistani jail on espionage charges, was denied the right to appeal despite a 2019 ICJ ruling, which only focused on consular access, not his appeal rights

What is Salt Typhoon, the China-linked cyberattack shaking US telecom?

US authorities said the operation aimed to give Chinese actors persistent access to American telecom networks by exploiting vulnerabilities in devices such as routers and switches

Apple accused of silencing workers, illegally monitoring personal devices

Apple imposes confidentiality policies that prohibit employees from discussing working conditions, including with the media, and engaging in legally-protected whistleblowing, lawsuit alleges

Russia to expel 6 British diplomats over spying, subversive activities

Russia's Federal Security Service on Friday accused six British diplomats of spying and said a decision has been made to withdraw their accreditation. Russian state TV quoted an official from the security service known as the FSB as saying that they will be expelled. The expulsions come as Prime Minister Keir Starmer visits Washington for talks with President Joe Biden that will include Ukraine's request to use Western-supplied weapons against targets inside Russia. Starmer said on his way to the US that Britain does not seek any conflict with Russia. Russia started this conflict. Russia illegally invaded Ukraine. Russia could end this conflict straight away, he told reporters. Ukraine has the right to self-defense and we've obviously been absolutely fully supportive of Ukraine's right to self-defense we're providing training capability, as you know. But we don't seek any conflict with Russia that's not our intention in the slightest, he said. The FSB said it received documents

Taiwan court sentences three retired officers for spying on China's behalf

Taiwan News reported that Chang, Chou, and Yueh reaped benefits from China for their business

China warns students: Beware of “good looking people”

China's top spy agency has issued a bold warning: students, beware of "good looking people"! Watch the video to find out why.