Results for: Espionage

Former President Donald Trump has predicted the release of detained Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich from Russia, following the upcoming presidential election. Trump claims Putin will grant the release as a favor to him, but the Kremlin has denied any contact between the two. Gershkovich has been imprisoned since March 2023 on espionage charges, which the U.S. and his employer have dismissed as absurd. The reporter recently lost an appeal to end his pretrial detention and will remain behind bars until at least June. President Biden has repeatedly called for Gershkovich’s release, and his administration is working to bring him and imprisoned American Paul Whelan home from Russia.

A London court has allowed WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange to appeal against his extradition to the United States. Assange, who has been held in Belmarsh Prison since 2019, faces 17 espionage charges and one count of computer misuse for publishing classified US documents. Despite US assurances of press protections, Assange’s lawyers believe they are ‘blatantly inadequate.’ The founder of WikiLeaks, known for exposing US military misconduct in Iraq and Afghanistan, claims journalistic protection under the First Amendment. However, the US government contends that Assange’s actions extended beyond journalism and harmed national security.

Beijing’s top diplomat in London has cautioned that the UK’s recent actions, including accusations of espionage and assisting Hong Kong’s intelligence service, are straining relations between the two countries. The Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office summoned Ambassador Zheng Zeguang after three individuals were charged with supporting Hong Kong’s intelligence agency, conveying that this behavior is unacceptable. Zheng, in turn, expressed concerns over the UK’s allegations against the Hong Kong government and China, and urged them to cease their anti-China stance. The summons further exacerbates the tensions between London and Beijing, who have been critical of each other’s actions in Hong Kong.

Chinese illegal immigrants are crossing the US-Mexico border in record numbers, raising concerns about potential espionage and the flow of fentanyl into the country. Border authorities apprehended over 200 Chinese nationals in San Diego Sector alone on May 1 and May 2, surpassing the total number encountered in all of Fiscal Year 2021. Lawmakers have expressed concerns that the Chinese Communist Party may be directing some of these immigrants to engage in espionage, while others have raised alarms about the use of Chinese precursors in fentanyl production. The Biden administration has emphasized consequences for illegal entry, but the majority of Chinese immigrants are mass released due to China’s lack of cooperation with deportation flights.

Giulio Regeni, a 28-year-old Cambridge student, was brutally tortured and murdered in Egypt in 2016 after being mistaken for a British spy plotting against the government. Prosecutors in Rome claim that Egyptian secret service officials broke Regeni’s arms, legs, and ribs, and then left his body burnt and sliced in a ditch. The allegations have shocked the Italian court and raised tensions between Italy and Egypt.

Despite receiving a lackluster 33% rating on Rotten Tomatoes from critics, Cillian Murphy’s 2019 thriller ‘Anna’ has emerged as a surprise hit on Netflix, becoming the fourth most-watched movie globally on the streaming platform. The film follows Sasha Luss as Anna, a former KGB agent turned model who must return to her deadly past and become a double agent to avenge her employer’s murder. Featuring an all-star cast including Helen Mirren and Luke Evans, ‘Anna’ is a gripping tale of espionage and revenge.

In a significant move, the German Federal Public Prosecutor’s Office has classified the self-declared separatist ‘Donetsk People’s Republic’ as a terrorist organization, raising serious legal implications.

Recent arrests in Bavaria have uncovered an alleged plot involving Russian spies to sabotage Germany and target US military infrastructure. The designation of the ‘Donetsk People’s Republic’ has been met with mixed reactions, with some legal experts questioning its legal basis and potential diplomatic consequences.

With just weeks until European Parliament elections, numerous scandals involving alleged foreign influence by Russia and China have rocked the EU. In particular, the European Parliament has faced accusations of MEPs accepting cash for influence from Qatar, Morocco, and Mauritania, working with Russian intelligence for years, and being approached and paid by Russia to promote propaganda. As part of the investigation, German authorities arrested an individual identified as Jian G., who worked as an assistant to an MEP from the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party and was allegedly also working for Chinese intelligence services. The revelations have raised concerns about the extent of foreign interference in EU institutions and the protection of the bloc’s security. The EU is taking steps to address the issue, including considering new sanctions tools and closer coordination among member states, but needs more robust integrity measures and independent oversight to counter malign influence effectively.

Maximilian Krah, the lead candidate for the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party in the upcoming European elections, has vowed to remain in his position despite allegations of espionage by one of his aides. Jian G., a 47-year-old aide to Krah in the European Parliament, was arrested on Monday and charged with spying for Chinese intelligence. Following the arrest, the German Federal Prosecutor’s Office announced that G. was brought before an investigating judge and placed in pre-trial detention. The European Parliament also suspended G. with immediate effect. Krah has acknowledged the seriousness of the allegations but has denied any personal misconduct. He has stated that he will terminate G.’s employment and take a low profile at the start of the election campaign. Krah’s decision to remain as lead candidate has sparked controversy, with some members of the AfD expressing concerns about potential damage to the party’s reputation. Despite these concerns, Krah has stated that he is confident in his ability to lead the AfD and has dismissed any suggestion that he may step down.

In an innovative initiative, the eastern Chinese province of Jiangsu has introduced regulations offering rewards of up to 30,000 yuan (US$4,100) to postal and parcel workers who report clues related to national security threats. This move is part of the country’s efforts to enhance counter-espionage measures and strengthen national security, with the Ministry of State Security praising the initiative as a step towards severely cracking down on the misuse of delivery services for endangering national security.