Intelligence & National Security Discussion

abhischekcc · Post by **abhischekcc** » 09 Jun 2010 10:04

nukavarapu wrote:
abhischekcc wrote:Not China, most likely Russia.
Very interesting view. It would be great if you can provide more details about the reasoning behind this view. Somehow all these days I never contemplated a Russian point of view in this Red Menace. Still, I am unable to view/imagine how would it gain Russia. It would be great if you can enlighten me with your point of view. Thanks!

I will answer you over the weekend.

pratik · Post by **pratik** » 10 Jun 2010 06:59

Source: http://pamirtimes.net/2010/06/07/jamat- ... anization/

The banned religious organization, Jamat Dawa, is actively working in Hunza despite of being on the list of officially banned organizations.

Public circles have demanded action against the organization.

“Writ of the government is not visible anywhere”, said a social activist who did not want to be named. “Hunza has been flooded by religious and political organizations but the local administration is not taking any action against the banned organizations”, he said.

This is the first step of getting the sympathy of the innocent people..And Jamat Dawa has the necessary skills to turn them into anti-India weapon.. Be careful

sum · Post by **sum** » 10 Jun 2010 12:23

Lashkar phone intercepts triggered PM security overhaul in Srinagar

While security agencies continue to look into the matter, intelligence on a possible attack being planned on Prime Minister Manmohan Singh during his visit to Srinagar did ring alarm bells here because of the specific nature of the information. In fact, a top Intelligence Bureau official had to be rushed from Delhi a day before the visit to revamp security arrangements.

At one point, a suggestion was also made to the PMO to reconsider the visit but the PM was said to have made it clear that he would continue with his commitment. There was a breather on the night of his departure when a communication intercept was received that the terrorists were calling off their plan because it had been leaked.

That too was treated with caution as the past 24 hours had sent out sufficient jitters. It is learnt that the information was generated on June 5 by the Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA) which is known to maintain a low profile but does have its own resources other than the task of coordinating intelligence received from the three services.

Once this information was deciphered, sources said, National Security Advisor Shivshankar Menon was immediately briefed and it was decided to rush IB Special Director Nehchal Sandhu, who is the number two in the agency, to Srinagar to take a fresh look at security arrangements.

A multi-tier security plan was put in place with vehicles scrupulously checked and jammers installed. There was talk to even shift the venue but that was overruled. Such was the security frenzy that the DIA is said to have picked up another conversation on June 6 night in which Uni apparently informed his LeT coordinator in PoK that the plan had leaked and police were on high alert. He is then believed to have expressed his inability to carry out the attack under such circumstances.

shyamd · Post by **shyamd** » 11 Jun 2010 00:02

Why 'patriotic' don Nepali killed gang member Tanasha

Nikhil S Dixit / DNAThursday, June 10, 2010 0:56 IST

Mumbai: The ingredients remain the same: to avenge a betrayal, followed by a battle for supremacy to control the Mumbai underworld. The latest card in the underworld pack is Bharat Nepali, who announced his entry with the sensational killing of criminal lawyer Shahid Azmi in February. He followed that by gunning down Farid Tanasha, a former Chhota Rajan gang member.

Both murders were scripted alike — armed men barging in, spraying bullets and slipping away into the darkness. In a telephonic conversation with DNA from an undisclosed location, Nepali claimed responsibility for both the murders — Azmi’s, to announce himself as a “patriotic” don and Tanasha’s, to prove a point to his ex-boss — Rajan. “Rajan had started spreading rumours that I had joined the Dawood gang; I got Tanasha killed to prove him wrong and prove a point,” Nepali said. Tanasha had recently joined the Dawood Ibrahim gang and by killing the criminal, who had danced with the police during a Christmas party, Nepali sent a clear message to Rajan.

The gangster believes in the underworld’s sacred vow — never forgive a betrayal. And Nepali feels a sense of betrayal from Rajan. He said he rescued a seriously-wounded Rajan when he suffered a near-fatal attack in Bangkok in 2000, protected him from the Malaysian police and the preying eyes of rival don Dawood. “I put my neck on the line to save Rajan, made special arrangements and ensured he escaped from the Malaysian authorities right under their nose,” Nepali said.

He said he left the gang because despite being loyal to Rajan and his men, other small-time members began interfering with the team work. “A driver was issuing orders and a relative was settling gang-related matters. A gang does not function like this,” thundered Nepali.“The Rajan gang is too small for me; my work is well beyond the gang.”

He said he wanted Azmi killed because the lawyer was involved in “anti-national activities”. Azmi was defending Fahim Ansari, an accused in the 26/11 terror attack case. “How can you defend terrorists and those involved in killing innocent countrymen?” Nepali asked. Ironically, his mentor Rajan had mouthed similar lines when he went about killing Dawood’s men after the 1993 serial blasts in Mumbai, which were masterminded by India’s most-wanted gangster.

shyamd · Post by **shyamd** » 11 Jun 2010 00:17

IOL:
The Huawei problem and India. The group won a GSM contract in South India. In March 2010, the contract was annulled and last month Huawei was excluded from bidding for a GSM network along the border with China.

To demonstrate to the Indian authorities that it was above reproachment, Huawei had security audits carried out on its equipment by US consultancies Telcordia, formerly Bell Communications Research and electronic warfare associates submitted the results to the Indian Home Minister. The group also gave the Intelligence Bureau a detailed schema of its share ownership - Huawei is controlled by its employees - and even offered access to the source code of the software used in its products.

To assuage Indian and U.S. fears, Huawei always cites the example of Europe, which allows the group to do business

In a bid to change its image, Huawei has launched a global PR campaign, recruiting lobbyists and consultants in the United States and going out of its way to show that it is transparent.

Vashishtha · Post by **Vashishtha** » 12 Jun 2010 23:17

Hi,
I have a question to gurus here on BR: With all these intelligent leaks, computer hackings, moles and gaddars are we literally Naked??
Thanks in advance.

Tanaji · Post by **Tanaji** » 13 Jun 2010 00:27

Vashishtha wrote:Hi,
I have a question to gurus here on BR: With all these intelligent leaks, computer hackings, moles and gaddars are we literally Naked??
Thanks in advance.

Er, there is no answer to this question. Hopefully security is designed like an onion: you peel away one layer, there is still one more layer to protect. There is compartmentalization and the need to know.. so setbacks on one aspect do not affect other regions.

BTW I suggest you use the newbie thread in the military forum for such questions.

Sanku · Post by **Sanku** » 13 Jun 2010 00:46

On a different note, I am personally aware that a lot of Indian systems (for security) are built around the assupmtion that we leak heavily, we have a slightly different take on this, we over compensate, in a way saying "so they know, so what"

We are the elephant in the jungle, everyone knowns where we are and where we are going, but so what?

ramana · Post by **ramana** » 15 Jun 2010 02:50

Any update on the Major from Bihar Regt case?

Sachin · Post by **Sachin** » 15 Jun 2010 10:09

ramana wrote:Any update on the Major from Bihar Regt case?

A local language daily has a small report today. It seems agencies have found out that data from the Major's laptop was pulled out through servers located in Pakistan and another country. It seems the major's email ID was found in Headley's mailing list and that is how we got the first clue. There are also speculations that the data was pulled out when the laptop was in the custody of NIA and MI. As per the report the laptop contained lots of presentations etc,. which were not connected to the official work of the Major.

Edited: Loose translation....

Information in Major's laptop stolen from Pakistan.

New Delhi: The security agency now investigating how information from the laptop of a Major posted in Andaman, have identified that the data was a stolen using a server in Pakistan. This security agency also found that the NIA and MI officers who investigated this earlier had ignored the details in the computer, and more information was stolen when this laptop was in their custody.

It has been found that the computer was used by multiple people at the same time. Other than from Pakistan data was also stolen using a server in another country. The investigation began when the officer's e-mail ID was found When David Headleys e-mails were being scrutinised. A lot of agencies had interrogated the Major on this regard. It was the US agencies which alerted the Indian agencies of the Major's E-Mail ID present in Headley's E-mai.

The agencies have now found out that the officer have violated the secrecy related rules multiple times. The information found on his laptop was not related to his area/nature of work. Around 2500 presentations pertaining to defence matters were to be in the laptop, said the investigation officials. The computer has been sent to the Central Forensic Science Lab for further analysis.

ramana · Post by **ramana** » 15 Jun 2010 20:20

I looked at the English version of Matrubhumi but couldnt find the story. Can you translate the Malayalam version and post here and the DCH thread? It now makes DCH a more deadly case with tentacles reaching into the Armed Forces.

Also Sachin, Do you think this case merits its own thread? I am tending to think that this is deeper and more explosive than all the ones we have seen so far.

Any way whats the name of the Major?

Indian Army System Hacked
Looks like an Indian Army major had his computer hacked and classified data may have been leaked. Chinese again? Or Pakistan? Some classified data of the tri-service Andaman and Nicobar Command (ANC) is likely to have leaked after an Army major's personal computer was accessed by online espionage agents, possibly from Pakistan, a couple of months ago. Even as the military intelligence directorate's counter-espionage `B Wing' finalises its investigation into the "security breach'', the Army on Thursday strongly denied that the major has been taken into custody for spying for Pakistan. "It's a case of computer hacking by an external agency. The matter is still under investigation, with the computer's hard disc being analysed by the forensic lab in Hyderabad,'' said a senior officer. "However, there is no evidence to suggest an espionage case so far. After being questioned, the officer is back on duty with his parent unit in Port Blair. He was never taken into custody,'' he added. But there is no denying the fact that the major, who belongs to 21 Bihar Regiment battalion working under the 108 Infantry Brigade deployed in the archipelago, had stored classified information on his computer, which was linked to the internet, in clear violation of orders not to do so.
http://grognews.blogspot.com/2010/05/in ... acked.html

All kind of details are being given out except the name. So there are two possiblities :
1) he is an agent under influence or
2) he was stupid to connect his sole laptop with classified info on it to the web.

But then how di DCH get his name on his mailing list? And how did he get his computer hacked while DCH is currently in jail in US? Too many complicated leads. Most likely the case is worse than being stated.

The erasures could be done as a clean up at Hqs. This is wrong and is tampering with investigation.

sum · Post by **sum** » 15 Jun 2010 21:19

Some more details ( dont think this was posted earlier) :
Holes in hacking story, Andaman Major called to Delhi for questioning again

The Indian Army Major posted at the Andaman and Nicobar tri-service command, from whose computer classified data was found to have been transferred to a Pakistani ISI operative, has been called to New Delhi on Monday for questioning again by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and the Military Intelligence.

The Indian Express had first reported on the possible espionage involving the Army officer on May 6. But the Army had clarified that it was a case of hacking, the probe had shown no evidence of espionage, and that the officer was back on duty.

However, counter-intelligence investigations have confirmed that the Major’s computer contained a large number of classified Army presentations including those pertaining to the Strategic Forces Command, and even minutes of meetings at the Army Commanders Conference.

Counter-intelligence has conveyed to the Home Ministry that action should be taken against the Major, an officer of the Bihar regiment posted with the 108 Brigade. Government sources told The Sunday Express that Home Minister P Chidambaram has personally discussed this matter with Defence Minister A K Antony.

American intelligence, investigating a tip-off from the David Coleman Headley interrogation and keeping tabs on a Pakistani ISI computer, had noticed the flow of huge amounts of classified Indian Army data into it and alerted their counterparts in India.

While the officer has maintained that his computer had been hacked by the ISI through a malware, all files from the hard disk had been deleted by the Major himself.

According to top sources, the investigations have unearthed the following:

* Laboratory tests have confirmed that a second attempt was made to delete the files while the Major’s computer was in the custody of the authorities. Despite surveillance and subsequent investigations, the person responsible for the attempt has not been identified.

* Through x-ray techniques and data recovery methods, investigators have found that the officer’s computer may have contained a total of 3,000 Army presentations including those marked highly classified or secret and belonging to areas where the Major had no access. Military Intelligence says the hard disk contained two secret presentations and 50 highly confidential documents — the rest was course study material.

* The Major got the classified data from three sources, but has not yet revealed his contacts during repeated questioning.

* The Army brass believes that the Major could have been acting alone, but Home Ministry officials suspect more people could be involved.

The two bolded parts are scary. You have a computer under lock and key and still attempts are made to access it with our agencies clueless about who is doing it. Also, 3000 secret documents being in the computer of a unconnected major is scarier.

Also, very sad that American intel has to tip us off about our own moles. Cant even imagine the amount of moles the Americans might be running here if they can pick and choose whom to expose.

ramana · Post by **ramana** » 15 Jun 2010 21:29

Spy Ring Cloud on Brigs and Maj Gen

FRONT PAGE | Tuesday, June 15, 2010 | Email | Print | | Back

Spy ring cloud on Brigs, Major Gen

Pioneer News Service | New Delhi

Expanding the scope of their investigation into the suspected spy ring, following the hacking of a Major’s computer, a joint team of National Investigation Agency (NIA), Military Intelligence and Intelligence Bureau are now scanning the role of some senior Army officers, including two Brigadiers and a Major General.

Sources said these officials of the Integrated Defence Staff (IDS) could be questioned by the agencies in the next few days. The main focus of the probe was to find out if they were part of the espionage network and how a Major, a relatively junior officer, could get access to the sensitive information much beyond his official purview.

Alarm bells started ringing when the detailed analysis of the Major’s personal computer by the Hyderabad-based Central Forensic Sciences Laboratory (CFSL) indicated that the officer had more than 2,000 files, many of them pertaining to deployment and contingency plans of the Indian Army. The investigators now wanted to know as to how a junior officer got access to such information and if there was an espionage ring at work, sources said here on Monday.

The probe agencies feel that the Major was acting in cahoots with other Army officers since sensitive filed were deleted from his computer hard disc after the machine was seized. The laboratory analysis pointed out that files were deleted after the machine was sealed and reportedly placed in the safe custody of the Army before it was sent to Hyderabad, sources said. The Army, however, maintained that the safe custody was joint responsibility of the NIA and Military Intelligence and it had no knowledge about deletions.

{Most likely some higher up ordered the files to be deleted from the computer to avoid embarrasment. Might not have known the forensic lab and pull a Lazarus on the deleted files.}

The probe agencies have found that the computer was accessed many times from a proxy server based in Pakistan and one more country, it, sources said. They said other server could also be based in Pakistan but the proxy server addresses had hopped through various internet gateways of European countries. {PRC or who?}

The case came to light when the US intelligence agencies tipped off their Indian counterparts two months ago that the ISI had got hold of some sensitive data pertaining to the Indian Army. The trail then led to the Andaman-based Bihar Regiment Major who, so far, maintained, that his computer was hacked. He reportedly admitted that he was an inquisitive person but did not know as to how sensitive information was parked in his personal computer.

Andaman and Nicobar deployment is part of the tri-service command where all the three Services work as one unit under the overall command of the IDS. The tri-service command and the IDS were set up following the recommendations of the Kargil Review Committee report and recommendations of the Group of Ministers (GoM).

Meanwhile, reports indicated that the security agencies found that the Major’s computer and emails were remotely accessed from a server located in Pakistan. The probe also indicated that the National Investigating Agency and Military Intelligence officials were responsible for not taking care of the computer after it was seized and certain files and mails were deleted on a particular date.

shyamd · Post by **shyamd** » 16 Jun 2010 06:16

All this exposes how weak we are in network security. Stuff like this should have been picked up. And its just shocking how much info this guy had and how much he must have given away. India needs to get serious on network security and counter intel. This also includes getting serving officers/employees of intel agencies/military off facebook/orkut etc or if they want to be there at least teach them not to give specific info on their job or which agency they work for.

Vril · Post by **Vril** » 16 Jun 2010 08:06

we are always hearing the pakis and chicoms penetrating our security apparatus and sensitive information being compromised.

how come we have never heard us getting sensitive information of paki/ chinki army. Is it that we are so good and discreet that no one comes to know or we just are plain incapable? i would like to believe its the former.

ramana · Post by **ramana** » 16 Jun 2010 20:52

sum et al., If the Major's e-mail was on DCH e-mail list and his computer is being hacked by servers in TSP and onward to another country, doesn't it mean that DCH is more than a rogue US intelligence agent who was working for LeT? His operation were still in process much after he was "removed"! And to make matters worse his computer gets erased after its taken into custody of the MI and NIA!

So was the erasure by TSP moles or Uncle's moles? Or joint as DCH was?

Vashishtha · Post by **Vashishtha** » 17 Jun 2010 00:51

we are always hearing the pakis and chicoms penetrating our security apparatus and sensitive information being compromised.

how come we have never heard us getting sensitive information of paki/ chinki army. Is it that we are so good and discreet that no one comes to know or we just are plain incapable? i would like to believe its the former.

Lets hope for the best buddy.

krishna_krishna · Post by **krishna_krishna** » 17 Jun 2010 08:19

Good points Ramana,there can be two possibilities :

- Either be TSP moles or
- Why would uncle give his email id in the first place to us and then remembered that they forgot to delete stuff on this guys computer (highly unlikely) and risk of deleting it while in custody. Only thing (very less chance )that they want to give him up may be he started giving them false info or did not co-operate so try to get him screwed in the mean time this could reveal other sources the only logical thing here for this scenario would be TSP

But the thing that puzzles me is why some computer in custody is hooked up to the internet. Shouldn't that be the most important piece in their hands. Another interesting article relevant to current scenarios effecting us, I believe TSP is on top gear here on more orchesterated efforts :

http://news.in.msn.com/internalsecurity ... id=4019192

shyamd · Post by **shyamd** » 21 Jun 2010 01:11

x post

We can learn a lot from this episode, of how the west was running its agents.

Link

In one of the worst cases, his group killed 22 citizens and abducted 7 more in Tasouki region on a road linking the southeastern city of Zahedan to another provincial town.

In 2007, Jundollah kidnapped 30 people in the southeastern Sistan and Balouchestan province. They were freed during a Pakistani police operation after abductors took them to the country.

Jundollah claimed responsibility the same year for an attack on an Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) bus in which 11 IRGC personnel were killed.

In its latest crime in October, the Pakistan-based terrorist Jundollah group, closely affiliated with the notorious al-Qaeda organization, claimed responsibility for a deadly attack in the Sistan and Balouchestan province which killed 42 people among them a group of senior military commanders, including Lieutenant Commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Ground Force Brigadier General Nourali Shoushtari.

After yearlong operations the Iranian intelligence and security forces could arrest Jundollah's number two, Abdulhamid Rigi last year.

Abdulhamid, the brother of the captured ringleader of Jundollah, was charged with militancy against the Islamic Republic and corruption due to his membership, support and effective endeavors in the militant terrorist group.

He was sentenced to death and executed in Zahedan's prison on May 24 after the relevant judicial authorities approved the (initial) court ruling.

Abdulhamid's arrest eventually led to the discovery of the whereabouts of his brother's hideout, and after a long chase, Jundollah's number one, Abdolmalek Rigi, was eventually arrested in February by Iranian intelligence operatives aboard a flight from Dubai to Kyrgyzstan.

Read from here
In his first confessions, Rigi stated that he was due to meet senior American officials in Kyrgyzstan to discuss new terrorist attacks on Iranian territory.

"After Obama was elected, the Americans contacted us and they met me in Pakistan. They met us after (Iranian forces') clashes with my group around March 17 in Zahedan and he (the US operative) said that Americans had requested a meeting," he said.

"They (Americans) said they would cooperate with us and will give me military equipment, arms and machine guns," Rigi stated, adding, "They also promised to give us a base along the border with Afghanistan next to Iran."

The Jundollah's ringleader then revealed the US plot for supporting all the anti-Iran terrorist groups, saying, "One of the CIA officers said that it was too difficult for us to attack Iran militarily, but we plan to give aid and support to all anti-Iran groups that have the capability to wage war and create difficulty for Iran's (Islamic) system."

The arrested ringleader of the Jundollah terrorist group said in his recent confessions that the US and Israel had allocated a huge budget to provide the terrorist gang with the financial support needed for the assassination of a number of Iranian officials in Tehran.

Rigi said that while in Morocco, suspected Israeli or US agents had given him a list of people to assassinate in Tehran.

In a recent interview, Rigi said that before his arrest Jundollah had held a series of meetings in Casablanca with a group who had claimed to be NATO contacts.

"When we looked back at all the things that had happened, we felt that two things were unclear. First, if they are from NATO why did they not meet with us in Afghanistan where they have bases and where they can contact us in a much more easy and secure manner," said Rigi.

"The second issue was that the first time they informed us that NATO forces wanted to meet with us we thought they were going to speak about eastern parts of Iran, because NATO forces are stationed in Afghanistan," he added.

"But they insisted that we should transfer our operations from the eastern border region to the capital. We thought that this was very strange. When we thought about it, we came to the conclusion that they are either Americans acting under NATO cover or Israelis," he further explained.

According to Rigi, the Israeli or US agents said they would provide him with a list of names, addresses, and photos of people who they had to assassinate in Tehran as well as any other equipment and explosives they may need to carry out their operations.

He further pointed out that they had promised him very high sums for the overall project as well as specific amounts of payments for each assassination.

I think Rigi was right on its hunch that it was the US who were talking under NATO flag or the Israeli's. I do think that the US has a major CIA station at Casablanca so it is definitely possible that one or both were there. Does NATO have an intel corps?

Following is the transcript of Rigi’s confession broadcasted live on Press TV on February 25.

’After Obama was elected, the Americans contacted us and they met me in Pakistan. They met us after clashes with my group around March 17 in (the southeastern city of) Zahedan, and he (the US operative) said that Americans had requested a meeting.

I said we didn't have any time for a meeting and if we do help them they should promise to give us aid. They said they would cooperate with us and will give me military equipment, arms and machine guns. They also promised to give us a base along the border with Afghanistan next to Iran.

They asked to meet me and we said where should we meet you and he said in Dubai. We sent someone to Dubai and we told a person to ask a place for myself in Afghanistan from the area near the operations and they complied that they would sort out the problem for us and they will find Mr. Rigi a base and guarantee his own security in Afghanistan or in any of the countries adjacent to Iran so that he can carry on his operations.

They told me that in Kyrgyzstan they have a base called Manas near Bishkek, and that a high-ranking person was coming to meet me and that if such high-ranking people come to the United Arab Emirates, they may be observed by intelligence people but in a place like Bishkek this high-ranking American person could come and we could reach an agreement on making personal contacts. But after the last major operation we took part in, they said that they wanted to meet with us.

The Americans said Iran was going its own way and they said our problem at the present is Iran… not al-Qaeda and not the Taliban, but the main problem is Iran. We don't have a military plan against Iran. Attacking Iran is very difficult for us (the US). The CIA is very particular about you and is prepared to do anything for you because our government has reached the conclusion that there was nothing Americans could do about Iran and only I could take care of the operations for them.

One of the CIA officers said that it was too difficult for us to attack Iran militarily, but we plan to give aid and support to all anti-Iran groups that have the capability to wage war and create difficulty for the Iranian (Islamic) system. They reached the conclusion that your organization has the power to create difficulties for the Islamic Republic and they are prepared to give you training and/or any assistance that you would require, in terms of telecommunications security and procedures as well as other support, the Americans said they would be willing to provide it at an extensive level.’

shyamd · Post by **shyamd** » 21 Jun 2010 05:16

FBI to help in Port Blair case, MoD looks at early court martial for Major

New Delhi:

Indian agencies have sought the help of the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in forensically establishing the nature of transmission of classified defence documents from the computer of Major Shantanu Dey to systems suspected to belong to the ISI in Pakistan.

The first alert in the case — now jointly probed by the Military Intelligence (MI), the National Investigating Agency (NIA) and the Intelligence Bureau (IB) — came from the FBI. Sources said the FBI’s expertise was needed as an early forensic examination established that mails were deleted from the officer’s computer even after it was seized. The deletion of mails from his Rediffmail account was made days after his computer and hard disk were seized and sealed by a team sent by the MI to Port Blair, where the officer was posted.

Following a report in The Indian Express (May 6, 2010), the Army and the Ministry of Defence played it down, dismissing it as a case of “hacking”. The Ministry was subsequently provided with a CD of around 20,000 pages of documents downloaded from the officer’s computer. Many of these documents and presentations were of a classified nature and a majority of them, not supposed to be in his possession.

Top MI officials who briefed The Indian Express on the case explained that they were currently indexing the documents, after which they will be dispatched to the intelligence wings of the Navy, Air Force and Army for classification and sourcing.

A team of three Defence officers have been deputed for the inquiry even as the Major himself is being questioned daily by officials of different agencies. The officer is understood to have been reiterating that he had collected the presentations and papers since he was preparing for his Staff College examination, due in September.

While MI officials deny that other senior MoD officers may be implicated in the case, this might well be the case when the custodians of the secret/ classified presentations and documents found on Major Dey’s computer are identified.

Senior officials in the Ministry of Home Affairs — who have been pressing the MoD for quick action in the Port Blair case — said that they have been orally told that court martial proceedings in the case would commence soon against the Major for possessing classified documents he is not authorised to keep and storing it on a computer which is linked to the internet. This is even as the final forensic report from Hyderabad, which will establish the nature of deletions, both before and after the inquiry began, is awaited.

Highly-placed intelligence sources also told The Indian Express that besides the original dispatch from the Major’s computer to Pakistan, there is confirmation of at least two or three more dispatches to the same IP address. Interestingly, while the IP address belonging to the ISI was under the scanner of US agencies following leads given by Lashkar-e-Toiba operative David Headley, MI officials say that they too had the IP address listed as part of a counter-intelligence exercise but did not detect the suspect transmission of messages from Port Blair in time.

Craig Alpert · Post by **Craig Alpert** » 23 Jun 2010 05:42

Slain Lashkar man may've plotted attack on PM

NEW DELHI: Two of Kashmir Valley's most dreaded terrorists were among those who plotted to carry out a suicide attack on the Prime Minister's convoy when he visited the Valley earlier this month. Now, security agencies are verifying if one of them, Abdullah Ooni, was among the two terrorists killed in Sopore over the last 24 hours.

The security agencies have at least one intercept showing that Ooni may be among the two terrorists killed, after Rashtriya Rifles launched an operation on Monday that ended on Tuesday morning. The operation started after the militants resorted to firing grenades at an RR unit.

If Ooni is among the dead it would be a significant success for the security forces, given his influential role in reviving militancy in recent times. But what adds further to the success is the fact that Ooni was among the three LeT senior terrorists who were plotting to attack the PM's convoy when he visited the Valley on June 7.

According to intercepts obtained by various agencies, Sopore-based Ooni was in regular touch with Furqan, a senior LeT terrorist based in Kupwara, and Ali Hurera, the launching commander of LeT based in Muzaffarabad, in the run-up to the PM's visit. The agencies monitored satellite phone conversations between the three terrorists from June 3 to June 7, in which the three discussed the possibility of a fidayeen attack during the PM's visit.

The last of the intercepts showed that they were calling off the attack because it had come to the notice of Indian agencies. For the past several months, both Ooni and Furqan have become the biggest headache for Indian agencies as LeT tries to revive militancy in the Valley. Over the recent years, violence has been on a steady fall, with fidayeen attacks and major assaults by terrorists becoming a thing of the past.

Both have survived several encounters. In fact, when Furqan was returning to the Valley a couple of months ago after a gap of few years, the Army intercepted the infiltrating group. Many members of the group were killed, but Furqan managed to escape. According to J&K police, Ooni may have survived over half-a-dozen security operations .

WHAATT?? either the security agencies AREN'T doing a GOOD ENOUGH job, if this SOB is escaping over HALF A DOZEN time or Insha-Allah, he is one LUCKY/Talented SOB...HOPEFULLY he's finds peace with his maker very soon..

darshhan · Post by **darshhan** » 23 Jun 2010 13:58

Don't know if this has been posted before

http://www.virsanghvi.com/CounterPoint- ... spx?ID=443

Interesting to see Vir sanghvi support covert ops against Pakistan

Aditya_V · Post by **Aditya_V** » 23 Jun 2010 14:30

[quote="Craig Alpert wrote

WHAATT?? either the security agencies AREN'T doing a GOOD ENOUGH job, if this SOB is escaping over HALF A DOZEN time or Insha-Allah, he is one LUCKY/Talented SOB...HOPEFULLY he's finds peace with his maker very soon..[/quote]

Or it could be he was skilled Paki at his best at down hill skiing the moment he thought an encounter was about to happen

shyamd · Post by **shyamd** » 27 Jun 2010 05:30

Can our babus be bond?
Josy Joseph, TNN, Jun 27, 2010, 01.10am IST

It was a rare gesture. On May 25, Union home minister P Chidambaram congratulated the intelligence agencies for "apprehending the prime suspect" in the Pune bombing case within 100 days of the attack. Within days, the minister was forced to retract his statement. The security agencies' claims about the suspect, Abdul Samad Bhatkal, who had been arrested at Mangalore airport, crumbled in the face of irrefutable evidences that suggested Samad had not played a role in the blast.

Intelligence officers believe Chidambaram could have been misled by sleuths eager to present "quick results" to a demanding minister. A former intelligence chief is convinced the case symbolizes the weak human intelligence capabilities of Indian agencies. He says whole cases are built on the basis of interrogation reports, which could well be misleading or false. A former intelligence chief cites attacks on Mumbai trains and the Malegaon mosque in 2006 as examples of the way agencies and police "cook up" stories to show results to their political masters. He says, "There is a belief among intelligence operatives that interrogation report is the best. That is misleading."

A recently retired officer says that Indian agencies need to have a regular audit of their reports and analyses, a process well entrenched in most modern agencies. "But it doesn't happen in our system," he adds. So yet another 26/11 could be waiting to happen even as police and public will go into random alert mode based on unfounded intelligence inputs. This, even as infighting and cover-ups remain the consistent reality of the secretive world of Indian intelligence.

The intelligence agencies — the Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW), the Intelligence Bureau (IB), National Technical Research Organisation (NTRO) and the intelligence arm of the military (MI) — appear to be steadily losing their old competence. Their shortcomings are increasingly manifest as frequent blunders.

Post-26/11, the top rung of the security establishment was quick to deny local involvement. But then David Coleman Headley emerged from nowhere in stark contradiction of these claims. "We didn't carry out a rigorous investigation and intelligence gathering even post-26/11," admits a senior official. Pointing out similarities with the 2006 blasts, he says, "We had started with some very good leads in both cases. But as political and media pressure built up, the local police just gave in, and completed a logical story."

At least one former intelligence chief believes the "declining capabilities of human operations is a concern". A former R&AW officer says the problem is "we have all become managers. We must first be operatives, then managers." But former R&AW chief PKH Tharakan insists today's "recruits are as good as their predecessors, but there is far more pressure to come out with predictions and it is leading to mistakes".

With an unparalleled asset base of operatives with expertise in several languages, religions and regions, Indian intelligence agencies were once legendary for humint (human intelligence) gathering. But now, admits a senior official, "we are too dependent on techint (technical intelligence)". This can be a huge problem when it comes to low-tech groups such as the top rungs of the Dawood gang, Pakistan-based terrorist groups or the naxals. Officials admit Indian agencies have negligible intelligence reports on these groups.

Former IB chief Ajit Doval says "I can only endorse Stratfor's statement that IB is one of the five most efficient intelligence agencies in the world. Its weakness, however, lies in its approach of working more like the gatherer than hunter. They have not only to hunt for intelligence in offensive mood but also influence policy decisions and executive action in that direction."

This lack of the "hunter attitude" is visible in R&AW too, officers tell TOI. "Today we are reluctant to go to Pakistan or Afghanistan. We have also aligned our foreign postings along that of the Ministry of External Affairs. Whereas our yardstick should have been different," says one officer who spent years in R&AW. "If you are picked to go to Pakistan it must be an honour. But we are after postings in Europe and US." Madhuri Gupta's posting to Pakistan - and its dismal fallout – is a reflection of this "lose approach" of Indian intelligence about the neighbourhood, say insiders. "From the very fact that a single woman was posted to Pakistan, to her own erratic behaviour at various points were enough reasons to pick her out," says a serving officer.

Manipulation in postings within the R&AW and officers' reluctance to develop expertise on countries such as China and Pakistan is beginning to manifest itself as a crucial intelligence gap. As senior officers retire, R&AW has a significant gap at the very top on subjects such as China.

It is safe to say Indian intelligence is severely demoralized. Poor HR policies and biases have seen to that. The internal war has added to it. In R&AW, the IPS lobby is pitted against the RAS (Research and Analysis Service). In the IB, indigenous recruits are bitter about IPS dominance.

The agencies have also become bulwarks of biases. Women and minorities have a negligible presence. Within R&AW there are no Muslims. In the IB, Muslims are few and far between at the senior levels. The gender and religious bias is thought to have burst into the headlines when Nisha Bhatia, a director-rank R&AW officer was declared mad after she tried to commit suicide in front of the Prime Minister's Office a few years ago. "She was a well recognized officer who was carrying out an important role until a few months ago. How did she suddenly become a ‘deranged woman'?" asks one of her former colleagues.

It is telling that one of Bhatia's biggest complaints was R&AW's lack of a transparent system to redress grievances. Today some of her colleagues acknowledge that "transparency" is a huge "challenge" for the agency.
The lack of transparency, is of course, larger than R&AW. Intelligence agencies in India, unlike most democracies, are not accountable to parliamentary committees. Or anyone at all?

But there is more. Indian intelligence doesn't seem to be responding too well to technological challenges either. The NTRO has managed to develop significant technological capability but other agencies seem hamstrung. For example, in December-January, Chinese hackers penetrated several dozen computers of the Ministry of Defence and National Security Council Secretariat among others, but there was very little defence offered. Worse, India does not have credible offensive capability in the field of cyber warfare. The NTRO has about 24 people monitoring the massive email traffic, a crucial source of intelligence leads. "We need at least a hundred," says an official.

What is the way forward? Former intelligence bosses Doval and Tharakan say change must start at the top and a dedicated director of national intelligence must speedily be appointed. He would be the czar of all intelligence agencies. From there would flow a system of an all-seeing eye on threats to India from within and without.

sum · Post by **sum** » 27 Jun 2010 10:45

This can be a huge problem when it comes to low-tech groups such as the top rungs of the Dawood gang, Pakistan-based terrorist groups or the naxals. Officials admit Indian agencies have negligible intelligence reports on these groups.

Former IB chief Ajit Doval says "I can only endorse Stratfor's statement that IB is one of the five most efficient intelligence agencies in the world. Its weakness, however, lies in its approach of working more like the gatherer than hunter. They have not only to hunt for intelligence in offensive mood but also influence policy decisions and executive action in that direction."

Arent the statement of Doval-sahib(IB being one of the best) and the statement above it ( Indian intel having negligible info on D-company etc) contradictory?

ramana · Post by **ramana** » 27 Jun 2010 10:47

We should look into the structural issues in Indian intelligence setup that lead to frequent misses if not failures.

Marut · Post by **Marut** » 27 Jun 2010 14:49

sum wrote:
This can be a huge problem when it comes to low-tech groups such as the top rungs of the Dawood gang, Pakistan-based terrorist groups or the naxals. Officials admit Indian agencies have negligible intelligence reports on these groups.

Former IB chief Ajit Doval says "I can only endorse Stratfor's statement that IB is one of the five most efficient intelligence agencies in the world. Its weakness, however, lies in its approach of working more like the gatherer than hunter. They have not only to hunt for intelligence in offensive mood but also influence policy decisions and executive action in that direction."
Arent the statement of Doval-sahib(IB being one of the best) and the statement above it ( Indian intel having negligible info on D-company etc) contradictory?

The first bolded portion should clarify Doval sahab's statements. The article talks of Indian agencies getting more tech savvy but losing out on the humint part. This lack of humint is what hurts us - since at the top levels, DI, CS and their handlers are resorting to more low tech methods of communication.
The Stratfor article about IB was based on their performance within India. Here they can get as much techint and humint as possible. But overseas, the humint part lags big time. The decline has been on since the start of the century but no one really talked about it. They are being discussed now since the operating procedures and tactics have gotten decidedly low tech or way too high tech for us to tackle. Hence the need to get the once strong humint capability back on again. The IB was indeed a very efficient organisation on this front as any group with more than 6-7 members would be penetrated in the good old days (from a tea stall owner some moons ago). This is also where the need for a dedicated intelligence czar cutting across turfs is needed. The second bolded portion will happen only when such a setup is created. This person (a political appointee) should be charged with not just fusing intel into actionable inputs but providing the forward path in terms of identifying threats and ways to counter them. MKN in his time as ISA was working along these lines. PC is now functioning in a similar way but falls short due to his other commitments as HM.

shyamd · Post by **shyamd** » 27 Jun 2010 16:37

ramana wrote:We should look into the structural issues in Indian intelligence setup that lead to frequent misses if not failures.

Exactly. But since the many attacks, yindu's have improved skills. IB is fine, there is a political will to prevent from within. Investigation has always been good - it would help if we built up analysis centre's in India.

However, as we all know the source of terror is usually emanating from outside our borders, there is a lack of will power to prevent from outside our borders. That seems to be the problem. Of course the said agencies are ultimately responsible.

However, you can't just blame the said agencies. Thing is, India (outside its borders) likes to go by the book (i.e. respect local rules). So anything it does abroad MUST have support of the local authorities. With this attitude, you are not really going to prevent anything. Although, it has worked quite well for us currently recently.

sum · Post by **sum** » 27 Jun 2010 17:44

Exactly. But since the many attacks, yindu's have improved skills.

Shyamd,

Does the statement mean that we have been improving on our external intelligence gathering/pig tracing in the recent times?

The only major thing missing is the covert assasinations of major pigs and handlers outside desh. Is there any chaiwallah gossip on ANY step being taken towards developing this capability?

Vashishtha · Post by **Vashishtha** » 27 Jun 2010 19:31

The only major thing missing is the covert assasinations of major pigs and handlers outside desh. Is there any chaiwallah gossip on ANY step being taken towards developing this capability?

i did come up on some chaiwallah gossip from my friend whose cousin had graduated from some iit and was working for the government to hack some terrorist computer in pureland.......

This is about a year old and this guy is a very very good friend of mine(so please i m not bluffing). The only problem was that he wouldn't reveal which iit he graduated from and most importantly his name...

also a few days ago i met this kernel from this IA who spoke pretty normally but the moment i asked him somethin about the IBG's he says he has a hearing problem and has to leave!!!

sunny y · Post by **sunny y** » 27 Jun 2010 22:24

Brand new website of CBI Academy, Ghaziabad.

http://www.cbiacademy.gov.in/index.php

I can't believe that an Indian govt. organization can actually have such a fantastic site.
Looks like our babus are now waking up to all that PR stuff.....Better late than never

abhishekm · Post by **abhishekm** » 27 Jun 2010 22:44

sunny y wrote:Brand new website of CBI Academy, Ghaziabad.

http://www.cbiacademy.gov.in/index.php

I can't believe that an Indian govt. organization can actually have such a fantastic site.
Looks like our babus are now waking up to all that PR stuff.....Better late than never

Yes, it's about time our crusty old babus redesigned some of the government websites. Hope the wonderful CBI academy website is a sign of things to come.

On another note it's a shame that a country like India which claims to produce the best IT geeks in the world struggles with sourcing tech int. There's also no reason why our hacking/counter-hacking measures should lag behind those of China and Pakistan.

shyamd · Post by **shyamd** » 28 Jun 2010 00:43

sum wrote: Shyamd,

Does the statement mean that we have been improving on our external intelligence gathering/pig tracing in the recent times?

The only major thing missing is the covert assasinations of major pigs and handlers outside desh. Is there any chaiwallah gossip on ANY step being taken towards developing this capability?

Yes, in the sense that we take intercepts more seriously, and utilise them more efficiently. MI managed to prevent a number of infiltration attempts using intel from across the border.

About covert assassinations - I don't know and it is down to the PM who will have to sign off each name at the end of the day. For this there needs to be political will. right now, it isn't there. The capability is always there - we know who is involved in most attacks and Army etc will ultimately have to do this part of the work (army can decide how best to do it).

ramana · Post by **ramana** » 28 Jun 2010 05:26

shyamd wrote:
ramana wrote:We should look into the structural issues in Indian intelligence setup that lead to frequent misses if not failures.
Exactly. But since the many attacks, yindu's have improved skills. IB is fine, there is a political will to prevent from within. Investigation has always been good - it would help if we built up analysis centre's in India.

However, as we all know the source of terror is usually emanating from outside our borders, there is a lack of will power to prevent from outside our borders. That seems to be the problem. Of course the said agencies are ultimately responsible.

However, you can't just blame the said agencies. Thing is, India (outside its borders) likes to go by the book (i.e. respect local rules). So anything it does abroad MUST have support of the local authorities. With this attitude, you are not really going to prevent anything. Although, it has worked quite well for us currently recently.

I am looking at a higher level from the Constitutional set-up itself that lends its self to failures. Not just at agency levels.

sum · Post by **sum** » 29 Jun 2010 11:30

10 alleged Russian secret agents arrested in US

Ten people have been arrested by the FBI for allegedly serving for years as secret agents of Russia's intelligence service, the SVR, with the goal of penetrating US government policymaking circles.

The Justice Department announced the arrests Monday in the multiyear investigation.

According to court papers in the case, the FBI intercepted a message from SVR headquarters, often referred to as Moscow Center, to two of the defendants stating that their main mission is "to search and develop ties in policymaking circles in US." Eight of 10 were arrested on Sunday for allegedly carrying out long-term, deep-cover assignments in the United States on behalf of Russia. As deep-cover agents they would have civilian jobs rather than serving in Russian diplomatic or military missions. Two others were arrested for allegedly participating in the same Russian intelligence program within the United States. An 11th defendant, who allegedly delivered money to the defendants, is at large.

The court papers cited numerous examples of communications intercepted in the FBI probe that spelled out what the 10 allegedly were trying to do.

In advance of President Barack Obama's visit to Russia last year, intelligence headquarters in Moscow sent directives to the defendants living in New Jersey requesting information on the US position regarding a new Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty, Afghanistan and Iran's nuclear program.

Moscow indicated that it needed intelligence reports "which should reflect approaches and ideas of" four sub-Cabinet US foreign policy officials.

The information was described as having been received in private conversation with, among others, a former legislative counsel for Congress. The court papers deleted the name of the counsel. The court papers described a new high-tech spy-to-spy communications systems used by the defendants _ a modern replacement or supplement for the old-style dead drop in a remote area or high-speed burst radio transmission.

In the papers, FBI agents said the defendants communicated with alleged Russian agents using this method, which has not previously been described in espionage cases brought here: They established a short-range wireless network between laptop computers of the agents and sent encrypted messages between the computers while they were close to each other.

The papers also said that on Saturday an undercover FBI agent in New York and another in Washington, both posing as Russian agents, met with two of the defendants, Anna Chapman at a New York restaurant and Mikhail Semenko on a Washington street corner blocks from the White House.

Big blow for the Ruskie network in US..

Austin · Post by **Austin** » 29 Jun 2010 12:05

The charges against them does not seem to be very serious no secrets leaked etc but that they wanted to penetrate decision making circle and know the thinking on matters and policy concerning national interest of Russia quite normal for any spy agency to do that.

During Putin Era there was allegation from US Inel Circle that spying from Russia has reached Cold War levels.

I think the kind of information is similar to what US tried to procure from India via NSA secretariat

Austin · Post by **Austin** » 29 Jun 2010 12:23

More Details

FBI allegations against 'Russian spies' in US

10 people arrested in United States for spying for Russia

The group, dubbed the “Illegals,” was accused of being tasked by the Russian intelligence agency SVR to enter the United States, assume false identities and become “deep-cover” Americans, according to the US Justice Department.

Their goal was to “become sufficiently ‘Americanised’ such that they can gather information about the United States for Russia and can successfully recruit sources who are in, or are able to infiltrate, United States policy-making circles,” according to criminal complaints filed in US federal court. However, they were not assigned to collect classified, secret information, a Justice Department official said. Most are believed to be originally from Russia and trained to secretly infiltrate the United States, Reuters reported.

ramana · Post by **ramana** » 29 Jun 2010 20:00

Can we have those in the US thread in strat forum? The idea of this thread is to discuss Indian interests here. The whole world is there to dis cuss US interests.

Thanks, ramana

Craig Alpert · Post by **Craig Alpert** » 30 Jun 2010 04:24

Tunnel from PM's house to airport

NEW DELHI: To prevent traffic snarls caused by VIP movement, the government is planning to build an underground tunnel from the prime minister's residence at 7, Race Course Road to the nearby Safdarjung airport, it is reliably learnt.

The PM often takes a helicopter from this airport to reach places in and around Delhi as well as to go to the IGI airport to catch a flight. His short movement -- via Kemal Ataturk Road, Safdarjung Road and Aurobindo Marg-- causes traffic to be held up.

The tunnel, said sources, is meant for use as an emergency exit, but may also be used for the PM to reach Safdarjung and minimise inconvenience caused to motorists. The entire plan is being conceived and implemented by the PM's security wing.

While PM's residence -- a complex of three bungalows, collectively known as 7, RCR -- and Safdarjung airport are about 3km apart, the PM has sought to minimise traffic snarls by using choppers within the city.
A tunnel link, while enhancing his security, would cut back on traffic restrictions.

The proposed new link may even be partially underground -- from PM house to beyond Kemal Ataturk Marg -- and then an overground drive to the chopper hangar behind Rajiv Gandhi Bhavan.
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HMMMM.. Wonder Y a helipad wouldn't suffice? more to this than meets the eye!!! Glad that the PM Security personnel would be leading this project!!

Sudip · Post by **Sudip** » 30 Jun 2010 04:34

Craig Alpert wrote:Tunnel from PM's house to airport
NEW DELHI: To prevent traffic snarls caused by VIP movement, the government is planning to build an underground tunnel from the prime minister's residence at 7, Race Course Road to the nearby Safdarjung airport, it is reliably learnt.

The PM often takes a helicopter from this airport to reach places in and around Delhi as well as to go to the IGI airport to catch a flight. His short movement -- via Kemal Ataturk Road, Safdarjung Road and Aurobindo Marg-- causes traffic to be held up.

The tunnel, said sources, is meant for use as an emergency exit, but may also be used for the PM to reach Safdarjung and minimise inconvenience caused to motorists. The entire plan is being conceived and implemented by the PM's security wing.

While PM's residence -- a complex of three bungalows, collectively known as 7, RCR -- and Safdarjung airport are about 3km apart, the PM has sought to minimise traffic snarls by using choppers within the city.
A tunnel link, while enhancing his security, would cut back on traffic restrictions.

The proposed new link may even be partially underground -- from PM house to beyond Kemal Ataturk Marg -- and then an overground drive to the chopper hangar behind Rajiv Gandhi Bhavan.
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Sweeeet gives me jingo wet dreams soon we will have our very own desi version of Führerbunker