Russia says CIA agent caught trying to recruit spy

[depotoo]

Reuters) - Russia said on Tuesday it had caught an American red-handed as he tried to recruit a Russian intelligence officer to work for the CIA, a throwback to the Cold War era that risks upsetting efforts to improve relations.

The announcement came at an awkward time, just days after a visit by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry during which Washington and Moscow agreed to try to bring the warring sides in Syria together for an international peace conference.

The Federal Security Service said Ryan Fogle, a third secretary at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow, had been detained overnight carrying "special technical equipment", a disguise, a large sum of money and instructions for recruiting his target.

...
The United States and Russia are still involved in espionage, more than two decades after the collapse of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War, and the FSB said such incidents were not unusual.

The last major espionage scandal occurred in 2010, when 10 Russian agents including Anna Chapman were arrested in the United States and later deported in exchange for four Russians imprisoned on charges of spying for the West.

U.S.-Russian relations turned colder after former KGB spy Vladimir Putin returned to the presidency a year ago.

The United States and Russia are also trying to improve counterterrorism cooperation following the Boston Marathon bombings on April 15. FBI chief Robert Mueller visited Moscow for talks last week.

Russia says CIA agent caught trying to recruit spy | Reuters

 

[waltky]

Uncle Ferd wonderin' if dey caught him with his secret decoder ring?...

Russia calls 'spy' case provocation, but Boston fallout could be factor
May 14th, 2013 - Moscow claims an American diplomat tried to recruit a spy for the United States, calling it a "Cold War" provocation. But the timing may indicate the allegation could be linked to fallout over Russian information-sharing about a Boston Marathon bombing suspect.

Russia said Tuesday that Ryan Christopher Fogle, a political officer at the U.S. Embassy, was caught trying to recruit a Russian intelligence officer. He was shown in videos and still photos released by the Russian security service, FSB, that got wide play in Russian media and brimmed with the stuff of spy novels. In one video, Fogle is shown face down on the street and then is hustled into a car and driven away. Fogle then enters a room and passes a table displaying his "spy arsenal" - wigs, recording devices, what appears to be a stack of Euros, a knife, and plastic bags with documents.

The Russian Foreign Ministry warned that the incident not only exposed "a foreign agent who was caught red-handed" but also raised "serious questions" for the United States. "While the presidents of our countries reaffirmed their readiness to expand bilateral cooperation, including the cooperation of intelligence agencies in fighting international terrorism, such provocative actions in the spirit of the 'Cold War' do not contribute to building mutual trust," the ministry said. It summoned U.S. Ambassador Michael McFaul but the embassy made no public comment. The CIA also refused to comment.

State Department spokesman Patrick Ventrell was tight-lipped. "We can confirm that an officer at the U.S. embassy in Moscow was briefly detained, and was released," he said. Fogle's case comes at a delicate time as Russian and U.S. intelligence services have been cooperating in the investigation of the April 15 marathon bombing that killed three people and injured more than 260 others. Moscow provided the first intelligence information to the United States about one of the suspects, Tamerlan Tsarnaev, before he visited Russia last year. But recently, Russian authorities have been criticized for not telling the United States all it knew. Now, the FSB could be retaliating for that criticism. In the YouTube video released by RT television, an FSB official says the officer Fogle allegedly sought to recruit was "involved in fighting terrorism in the Northern Caucasus" which is the part of Russia where Moscow claims Tamerlan Tsarnaev - who died days after the attack - met with Islamic extremists.

Also in the YouTube video, the FSB officer angrily tells Fogle: "At first we didn't believe that this could happen. Because you know perfectly well that recently, the FSB is actively helping in the investigation of the bombing in Boston, and on other information that presents a threat to the security of the United States of America." Raising his voice and gesturing, the officer recalls the recent visit of FBI Director Robert Mueller to Moscow and conversations between Presidents Vladimir Putin and Barack Obama, who he notes have tried to improve cooperation between the United States and Russia. "We think, under today's conditions, when our countries are reaching a new level of relations, when the presidents of these two countries are trying to improve the climate of mutual understanding between the two governments, this citizen - in the name of the U.S. government - commits the most serious crime here in Moscow," he says.

Russia calls 'spy' case provocation, but Boston fallout could be factor ? CNN Security Clearance - CNN.com Blogs

See also:

Wigs? A map? Strange stuff in alleged US spy kit
May 15,`13 -- A couple of wigs, sunglasses and a compass? Really?

Some of the items Russian authorities say they seized from a U.S. diplomat who they accuse of spying look like they came from Austin Powers' arsenal rather than James Bond's. But while the old-fashioned items might seem clownish or reminiscent of Cold War intrigues, they could in some ways be more useful than many modern gadgets, experts say. Bob Ayers, a former U.S. intelligence officer, said disguises and cash drops have long been staples of the spy world, but cautioned that even an old mobile phone could undo an effort to get off the grid using a compass and map. He added: "You can't assume that every agent always acts in a rational way." Here is a look at the items that Russia's Federal Security Service, the main successor to the Soviet-era KGB, proudly displayed as trophies after grabbing the American:

WIGS

A blond one and another equally fluffy dark one, the wigs offer a quick and efficient disguise. But there is one small problem: While they might help you get lost in a marijuana-loving crowd in Amsterdam, they would instantly draw attention to you on the streets of Moscow, where most men sport crew cuts. That said, Ayers noted that even a bad wig can make it tough to follow someone via CCTV cameras.

SUNGLASSES

Another tried but true way to quickly change appearance. One of the three pairs, the one in dark plastic, appears to have transparent or only slightly tinted lenses. An attempt at a professorial look?

PILES OF CASH

A generous advance to encourage a would-be agent. The currency is euros, which most Russians these days prefer as an illicit cash reward or a bribe.

RECRUITMENT LETTER

 

[theHawk]

What are the Russians worried about? If the Hussein is spying on them its only so he can learn to emulate them better.

 

[depotoo]

this is a really strange case...

 

[skye]

yep, it's fishy

 

[Kondor3]

Most countries big enough to be worth mentioning have intelligence operatives at-work in other countries, and their strongest focus will be to embed such operatives within countries that are potential adversaries or competitors. So, one of ours got caught. Dog bites man. Nothing really new there. It's not as if we stopped conducting espionage operations within Russia after the fall of the Soviet Union or sumfin'. Mebbe I'm missing a salient point, but I just don't see what the Big Deal is here.

 

[depotoo]

Most countries big enough to be worth mentioning have intelligence operatives at-work in other countries, and their strongest focus will be to embed such operatives within countries that are potential adversaries or competitors. So, one of ours got caught. Dog bites man. Nothing really new there. It's not as if we stopped conducting espionage operations within Russia after the fall of the Soviet Union or sumfin'. Mebbe I'm missing a salient point, but I just don't see what the Big Deal is here.

If this guy was truly an agent trying to recruit, then our agency is is deep trouble.

 

[Kondor3]

Most countries big enough to be worth mentioning have intelligence operatives at-work in other countries, and their strongest focus will be to embed such operatives within countries that are potential adversaries or competitors. So, one of ours got caught. Dog bites man. Nothing really new there. It's not as if we stopped conducting espionage operations within Russia after the fall of the Soviet Union or sumfin'. Mebbe I'm missing a salient point, but I just don't see what the Big Deal is here.

If this guy was truly an agent trying to recruit, then our agency is is deep trouble.

Clumsiness strikes every so-often even in the most (supposedly) subtle of operations...

 

[skye]

Most countries big enough to be worth mentioning have intelligence operatives at-work in other countries, and their strongest focus will be to embed such operatives within countries that are potential adversaries or competitors. So, one of ours got caught. Dog bites man. Nothing really new there. It's not as if we stopped conducting espionage operations within Russia after the fall of the Soviet Union or sumfin'. Mebbe I'm missing a salient point, but I just don't see what the Big Deal is here.

If this guy was truly an agent trying to recruit, then our agency is is deep trouble.

Clumsiness strikes every so-often even in the most (supposedly) subtle of operations...

But that's beyond clumsiness .....more like clownishness

 

[depotoo]

Most countries big enough to be worth mentioning have intelligence operatives at-work in other countries, and their strongest focus will be to embed such operatives within countries that are potential adversaries or competitors. So, one of ours got caught. Dog bites man. Nothing really new there. It's not as if we stopped conducting espionage operations within Russia after the fall of the Soviet Union or sumfin'. Mebbe I'm missing a salient point, but I just don't see what the Big Deal is here.

If this guy was truly an agent trying to recruit, then our agency is is deep trouble.

Clumsiness strikes every so-often even in the most (supposedly) subtle of operations...

I can't even begin to believe someone that 'clumsy' could ever qualify. If so, there is something truly wrong with its recruitment policies. Personally I would call that much more than clumsy.

 

[Kondor3]

OK... OK... OK... ya caught me tryin' to give the benefit-of-a-doubt and lightly sugar-coating it as an interim measure... Jeeez... some boards, you just can't get away with anything... ;-)

 

[depotoo]

OK... OK... OK... ya caught me tryin' to give the benefit-of-a-doubt and lightly sugar-coating it as an interim measure... Jeeez... some boards, you just can't get away with anything... ;-)

 

[waltky]

What was his real mission?...

Accused American spy in Russia: What was he really doing there?
May 20, 2013 - The American accused of being a spy is coming in from the cold.

But there are still many questions about what he was really doing there. Five days after Russia ordered him to leave, Ryan Fogle was spotted at Moscow airport going through passport control and security and is believed to be headed home.

Fogle has been at the center of a Russian media frenzy since his arrest last Tuesday when Russian intelligence agents claim that they caught him trying to recruit a spy who was a specialist in the Caucasus -- the region where the alleged Boston bomber was born. They released a recording as evidence in which someone says, "You can earn up to $1 million per year and I'll give $100,000 up front, but only if we meet right now. Yes or no?" Fogle's alleged spy kit included an ill-fitted blonde wig, sunglasses, a compass, and thousands of Euros. Russian media mocked him as an amateur.

CBS News national security analyst Juan Zarate thinks this case is out of the ordinary. "What is apparent is the Russians have wanted to make this incredibly public," Zarate said. "These kinds of spy cases are usually handled in the shadows." In an interrogation video, Russian agents can be heard talking about the recent Boston bombing. They expressed shock that an American dared to spy on them when they're helping the U.S. with an investigation.

Zarate said, "To not only demonstrate that they did in fact help and give leads but also that the U.S. should be very careful about pursuing these matters on their own." No U.S. official has acknowledged whether Fogle worked for the CIA, only that the 29-year-old was an embassy staffer.

Source

 

[depotoo]

thanks WAltky, interesting question. i hve wondered the same myself. Just doesn't make much sense.