US authorities are holding a 12th person linked to a Cold War-style Russian spy ring, The Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday. The disclosure came only four days after the United States sent 10 agents back to Russia in return for Russia releasing four people jailed for spying for Western nations. "Federal Bureau of Investigation counterintelligence investigators have been investigating the 23-year-old Russian man since last fall when his name surfaced in a decade-long spy investigation," the Journal reported citing an unnamed US official familiar with the matter. Prosecutors last month charged 11 people with being agents of Russia's SVR foreign intelligence agency. Ten in US custody entered plea deals Thursday ahead of a diplomatic swap for four people held by Russia on charges of spying for Western intelligence agencies. "It's unclear what drew investigators' interest in the 12th man, but FBI agents began monitoring him shortly after he entered the United States in October … [Read more...] about 12th suspect in Russian spy ring case: report
Spy 10 year return
Putin ‘sings songs’ with deported Russian spies
Prime Minister Vladimir Putin revealed he met and even sang patriotic Soviet songs with the group of Russian spies deported from the United States in the biggest espionage swap since the Cold War. Putin, who himself served as a KGB agent in the ex-East Germany in the dying years of the Soviet Union, said the group included Anna Chapman, the Russian woman whose glamorous looks turned her into a tabloid star worldwide. "I met with them. We talked about life. We sang. It was not karaoke but live music," Putin told Russian reporters on a visit to Ukraine, according to a transcript posted Sunday on the government website. "We sang 'From Where the Motherland Begins'," a hugely popular 1960s song made famous in a USSR film about a Soviet spy working in Nazi Germany. "I'm not joking, I am serious. And other songs with a similar content," said Putin. The group of 10 spies, many of whom had been working for years undercover in the United States as sleeper agents, returned to Russia earlier this … [Read more...] about Putin ‘sings songs’ with deported Russian spies
Israel Frees Convicted Hezbollah Spy
A Lebanese-born prisoner freed after more than six years in jail in Israel on charges of spying for Shiite militant group Hezbollah arrived back in his native land on Sunday after being deported. Nisr was handed over to the the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) at Israel's Rosh Hanikra border post and transferred to the Lebanese side at midday (0900 GMT). Nisr arrived at the crossing in a white, unmarked jeep and was escorted by police to the crossing point before being driven over the border into the no man's land between the two countries. Lebanese troops had fanned out across the border town of Naqura, setting up a checkpoint near the main square and inspecting the identity cards of the hundreds of people who had gathered there. Hezbollah fighters were also out in force across the town, wearing black clothes and yellow hats with the phrase "a victory from God" and blocking the main entrance to the town. "We hope he will arrive safe and sound," Nisr's brother Omran … [Read more...] about Israel Frees Convicted Hezbollah Spy
Russia sending spy ship to Mediterranean
Russia is sending a reconnaissance ship to the eastern Mediterranean, Interfax news agency reported on Monday, as the United States prepares for a possible military strike in Syria. U.S. President Barack Obama has said he will seek congressional authorisation for punitive action against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad after what Washington said was a sarin gas attack that killed over 1,400 people. Russia is a staunch backer of Assad in his war with rebels trying to topple him. The reconnaissance ship left Russia's naval base in the Ukrainian Black Sea port of Sevastopol late on Sunday on a mission "to gather current information in the area of the escalating conflict", the Interfax report quoted an unidentified military source as saying. The Defence Ministry declined immediate comment but Interfax said the vessel, the SSV-201 Priazovye, would operate separately from a Russian navy unit already stationed in the Mediterranean. Last week, the ministry said new warships were … [Read more...] about Russia sending spy ship to Mediterranean
Life after RVP: Wilshere will inherit Dutch striker’s No 10 shirt at Arsenal
Jack Wilshere will be named Arsenal's new No 10 on Friday ' taking the shirt of talisman Robin van Persie. Wilshere is making positive progress on his road to recovery from knee and foot problems and is expected to return in October. … [Read more...] about Life after RVP: Wilshere will inherit Dutch striker’s No 10 shirt at Arsenal