Somali pirates guided by London intelligence team, report says

guardian.co.uk ^ | May 11, 2009 | Giles Tremlett

[Free ThinkerNY]

The Somali pirates attacking shipping in the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean are directed to their targets by a "consultant" team in London, according to a European military intelligence document obtained by a Spanish radio station.

The document, obtained by Cadena SER radio, says the team and the pirates remain in contact by satellite telephone.

It says that pirate groups have "well-placed informers" in London who are in regular contact with control centres in Somalia where decisions on which vessels to attack are made. These London-based "consultants" help the pirates select targets, providing information on the ships' cargoes and courses.

In at least one case the pirates have remained in contact with their London informants from the hijacked ship, according to one targeted shipping company.

The pirates' information network extends to Yemen, Dubai and the Suez canal.

The intelligence report is understood to have been issued to European navies.

[Perdogg]

I am sure ex-KGB ex-GRU, maybe even current intell agent.

[UCANSEE2]

More likely it’s Muslims In Pajamas, working out of their mom’s basement, using the internet.

[spetznaz]

You do know that the UK has one of the highest concentrations of Somali outside Somalia proper, neighboring nations, and (ofcourse) Minneapolis, don't you? Or that former KGB/GRU operatives would be too busy doing other stuff that going through shipping schedules (which anyone can do) and calling some Somalis in some fishing village to give them updates.

There are so many Somalis in London, and shipping schedules are so openly available, and calling internationally to Somalia (they even have country specific scratch cards to Somalia) so easy, that thinking it has to be ex-KGB/GRU (or, to stretch things further, 'current intel') is tantamount to Pakistanis claiming the Israeli Mossad had something to do with the deflated tire of the Islamabad cricket league's bus. Possible, yes. But so highly improbable as to be nigh ludicrous, particularly since such intelligence services have far better things to do, and also because there is a far more likely explanation.

In this case, a city with one of the highest immigrant Somali populations outside Minneapolis.

That makes more sense than salty-dog Ruskie James Bond wannabes channeling information to Somalis in the Horn of Africa, when Mohammed's cousin living in London could pick up a paper, get a scratch card, and tell Mo to be on the look-out for a Maersk ship heading to Zanzibar a week from now.

[Munz]

Perhaps some community organizer somewhere?

[Little Ray]

Nope. An employee of Lloyds most likely; possibly a ROPer or just a scumbag looking for more money than he can get honestly.