ktlight
21st July 2011, 14:35
FYI:
THE powerful earthquake that rocked New Zealand's South Island unearthed an Israeli spy ring, security experts claim.
Israeli secret service Mossad has been accused of conducting an intelligence gathering operation in the country, which was allegedly interrupted when a van used by the cell was crushed by masonry falling from a building.
It is claimed that a man, who died inside the wreckage, had five passports in his possession, and three surviving Israelis who were in the vehicle fled the country within 12 hours.
New Zealand Prime Minister John Key confirmed last week that the government's Security Intelligence Service had launched a full investigation into the discovery.
But during a visit to the US, Mr Key dismissed the concerns saying no evidence was found that the people involved were anything other than backpackers.
He said his advice was that the man was found with only two passports, one of European origin.
He added the government took the security of New Zealand and New Zealanders "very seriously".
He said: "The unusual circumstances which triggered the investigation was the rapid departure from the country of the three surviving members of the group of Israelis in question.
"Security agencies conducted the investigation and found no evidence that the people were anything other than backpackers."
But security officials have suggested agents for Mossad may have been on an identity theft "trawling" mission, so that the passports of unwitting citizens could be cloned to be used during spying activities across the world.
The Southland Times, a regional daily paper in New Zealand, reported that an "extraordinary" reaction by the Israeli government in the hours after the earthquake had heightened the suspicions of the country's intelligence service.
They included the fact that Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli Prime Minister, made four calls to Mr Key on the day of the earthquake.
The paper claimed New Zealand officials became alarmed when intelligence information was collated and it came to light that the Israeli forensic team was given access to the police national database to help with identification work.
Shemi Tzur, the Israeli ambassador, said it was "science fiction" to believe that any Mossad agents had been involved.
Three Israelis died in the 6.3-magnitude earthquake in February, which killed 181 people.
Mossad was blamed for stealing passport serial numbers from six valid Irish documents to make fake ones for assassins who took out Hamas commander Mahmoud al-Mabhouh .
Al-Mabhouh, 50, was drugged before being suffocated in his room at the luxury Al Bustan Rotana hotel in Dubai in January last year.
source
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/3705336/Spy-ring-unearthed-by-quake.html
THE powerful earthquake that rocked New Zealand's South Island unearthed an Israeli spy ring, security experts claim.
Israeli secret service Mossad has been accused of conducting an intelligence gathering operation in the country, which was allegedly interrupted when a van used by the cell was crushed by masonry falling from a building.
It is claimed that a man, who died inside the wreckage, had five passports in his possession, and three surviving Israelis who were in the vehicle fled the country within 12 hours.
New Zealand Prime Minister John Key confirmed last week that the government's Security Intelligence Service had launched a full investigation into the discovery.
But during a visit to the US, Mr Key dismissed the concerns saying no evidence was found that the people involved were anything other than backpackers.
He said his advice was that the man was found with only two passports, one of European origin.
He added the government took the security of New Zealand and New Zealanders "very seriously".
He said: "The unusual circumstances which triggered the investigation was the rapid departure from the country of the three surviving members of the group of Israelis in question.
"Security agencies conducted the investigation and found no evidence that the people were anything other than backpackers."
But security officials have suggested agents for Mossad may have been on an identity theft "trawling" mission, so that the passports of unwitting citizens could be cloned to be used during spying activities across the world.
The Southland Times, a regional daily paper in New Zealand, reported that an "extraordinary" reaction by the Israeli government in the hours after the earthquake had heightened the suspicions of the country's intelligence service.
They included the fact that Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli Prime Minister, made four calls to Mr Key on the day of the earthquake.
The paper claimed New Zealand officials became alarmed when intelligence information was collated and it came to light that the Israeli forensic team was given access to the police national database to help with identification work.
Shemi Tzur, the Israeli ambassador, said it was "science fiction" to believe that any Mossad agents had been involved.
Three Israelis died in the 6.3-magnitude earthquake in February, which killed 181 people.
Mossad was blamed for stealing passport serial numbers from six valid Irish documents to make fake ones for assassins who took out Hamas commander Mahmoud al-Mabhouh .
Al-Mabhouh, 50, was drugged before being suffocated in his room at the luxury Al Bustan Rotana hotel in Dubai in January last year.
source
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/3705336/Spy-ring-unearthed-by-quake.html