Australia: senior official discloses existence of foreign spy network
The head of Australia's main intelligence service revealed, on February 28, 2024, the existence of a foreign spy network active in Australia for several years.
He recruited in particular a former political leader, academics and businessmen.
The Australian Parliament in Canberra.
© CC/Dietmar Rabich
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“
This politician sold out his country, his party and his former colleagues to serve the interests of a foreign regime
,” said Mike Burgess, the director general of the Australian Security and Intelligence Organization (ASIO) in a speech. delivered this Wednesday February 28 in Canberra.
He neither disclosed the identity of this elected official nor the name of the country on whose behalf these spies were acting.
This politician was recruited "
several years ago
", he said, and had even proposed integrating a member of the Prime Minister's family into
the "orbit of spies
", a project which was not successful. not successful.
These extremely rare public revelations in terms of counter-espionage operations immediately provoked strong reactions, with voices raised to have the identity of the politician revealed.
“
The problem is that if he doesn't say his name, a cloud hangs over everyone else
,” said Peter Dutton, leader of the conservative opposition, on radio 2GB in Sydney, calling on Mike Burgess to give “
no more clues
” about his identity.
“
Traitor
”
Former conservative Australian Finance Minister Joe Hockey said that all parliamentarians are tainted by this affair.
“
This former politician is a traitor
,” he told the national channel ABC, deeming it “
inconceivable
” that he could not “
be worried
.”
This team of spies worked for the unit nicknamed A-Team (Australia Team), said the director general of ASIO.
He explained that he made these revelations in order to disrupt his operations, to let his bosses know that his cover was blown and to warn Australians against this “
aggressive and experienced team
”.
Read also: Espionage, first threat to Australia, according to its intelligence services
It targets Australians with access to “inside information” on social media, using English-speaking “fake personas” and promising cash rewards.
The spies pose as consultants, headhunters, local officials, academics and think tank researchers.
“
If a target takes the bait, the spies attempt to move the conversation to an encrypted messaging app.
Another step could be to propose a trip abroad to meet in person
,” said Mike Burgess.
Australia
is a member of the Group of 5 - the "Five eyes" - an intelligence alliance also including the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and New Zealand, making it an attractive target for agents from countries such as China and Russia.
(With
AFP
)
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