Free Republic

Former U.S. spy agency contractor Edward Snowden, who leaked details of massive U.S. intelligence-gathering programs, said in a U.S. TV interview he "was trained as a spy" and had worked undercover overseas for U.S. government agencies. In an advance excerpt of his interview in Moscow with "NBC Nightly News" that aired on Tuesday, Snowden rejected comments by critics that he was a low-level analyst. "Well, it's no secret that the U.S. tends to get more and better intelligence out of computers nowadays than they do out of people," Snowden told NBC news anchor Brian Williams. "I was trained as a...

Denis Donaldson was expelled from Sinn Fein in December Mr Donaldson was expelled from the party last December after admitting he was a paid British spy for 20 years. The IRA issued a statement saying it had "no involvement whatsoever" in Mr Donaldson's death in County Donegal. Irish prime minister Bertie Ahern described the death as a "brutal murder", while NI Secretary Peter Hain said it was "barbaric". Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams said he wanted to "disassociate (his party) and all republicans who support the peace process from this killing". The death of Mr Donaldson came hours before a...

DUBLIN, Republic of Ireland (AP) -- A former senior official of Sinn Fein recently exposed as a British spy has been found fatally shot in northwest Ireland, police said Tuesday -- an act certain to send shock waves through Northern Ireland's peace process at a critical moment. Denis Donaldson, Sinn Fein's former legislative chief in the failed power-sharing government of Northern Ireland, admitted in December he had been on the payroll of the British secret service and the province's anti-terrorist police for the previous two decades. He then went into hiding -- because the traditional Irish Republican Army punishment for...

China has lambasted Australia for granting Chen Yonglin a permanent visa and has lashed out at the former diplomat and defector for airing allegations that it persecutes dissidents and engages in widespread espionage. In a statement released last night, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said: "China resolutely opposes the Australian Government's decision to give Chen a 'protection visa'." It called Mr Chen's accusations of a 1000-strong Chinese spy network in Australia and claims that he faced execution if went back home as "lies not worthy of response". It said: "China is a country ruled by law and handles affairs in accordance...

Terrorist organizations may be trying to place spies inside U.S. intelligence agencies in order to spy on American counterterrorism efforts, the Los Angeles Times reports. About 40 Americans who applied for jobs at U.S. intelligence agencies, including the CIA, have been turned away for possible ties to terrorist groups, the Times said in Tuesday's editions. "We think terrorist organizations have tried to insinuate people into our hiring pools," said Barry Royden, a CIA counterintelligence instructor. Royden spoke at a weekend conference on counterintelligence at Texas A&M University Three senior U.S. officials also said they feared terrorists may be trying to...

Summary Washington and Tehran are engaging in a series of diplomatic spats while Iran attempts to make the United States recognize its strength. The question is: How long will the United States let the game continue? Analysis The United States has expelled two Iranian security guards from New York City for taking photographs of local landmarks, infrastructure and transport systems. Washington said the two were involved in activities "incompatible with their stated duties." In diplomatic terms: They were spies. The men, who worked security for the Iranian mission to the United Nations, were observed taking photos in June 2002 and...