Security Monitor Hub

China’s Plan to Get Shaida Copper Mine in Afghanistan

2019-03-27T17:58:00.000+01:00

China have secretly formulated a plan to get all mineral resources of Afghanistan. The last step of chinese business aim is to sign a $4 billion agreement with local authorities for Shaida Copper Mine, located in the western region of Afghanistan in the Adraskan District of the Herat province.

Afghan people and even Parliament were kept in the dark about this agreement.

According to reliable sources a chinese company, Metallurgical Corps of China, that already has the rights to the Mes Aynak copper deposit in Logar, has links with Afghan warlords and is illegally mining in Afghanistan.

This company invests in restive countries and the minerals are illegally transferred to China.

“The last step of chinese business aim is to sign a $4 billion agreement with local authorities for Shaida Copper Mine, in the Adraskan District of the Herat province”

After reports about singing of the agreement have become public, afghan people asked that the chinese company engaged in illegal mining project stop their operations for Shaida Copper Mine, as the Afghan Government has failed to protect public wealth.

Metallurgical Corps of China has run into complications in Afghanistan after the executive leading the $3 billion project to build a open-pit copper mine in Mes Aynak was expelled from the Chinese Communist Party for corruption.

Sources revealed Involvement of the Belgian State in funding Libyan Militias responsible for Human Smuggling

2018-11-01T17:01:00.001+01:00

Well informed sources “close to the secret services” revealed the involvement of the Belgian State in funding Libyan armed militias responsible for human smuggling.

According to Libyan website Al Marsad reporters of Belgian Television Channel RTBF conducted an investigation for weeks to inquire about this issue.

RTFB reporters obtained information from an anonymous source who claimed to have connections with the Intelligence Directorate, confirming Belgium's role in such issue.

The source added that certain aircraft inspected at Belgium's Ostend Airport were found to be carrying weapons prepared for smuggling.

After the murder of Colonel Muammar al-Qadhafi in 2011, Belgian banks frozen Libyan funds but years later has been discovered that the assets.

Profits of these funds were not frozen and between 3 and 5 million euros - BNP Paribas Fortis (€43 million – over R714 million), ING (€376 million), KBC (€869 million) and Euroclear Bank (€12.8 billion) - were withdrawn since 2012 funding networks of trafficking of arms and smuggling of human beings, especially girls from Nigeria that are brought to the country to work in prostitution.

Source has pointed fingers to current Foreign Minister Didier Reynders as "responsible for the Belgian government's decision to release the interests of the frozen funds, but we do not know to whom, how, and why."

Sources:

A French renegade intelligence agent sheds a sinister light on DGSI

2018-10-11T14:03:00.000+02:00

A policeman working for the French internal intelligence agency, the Direction Générale de la Sécurité Intérieure (DGSI), was arrested at the end of September with the accusation of selling confidential information on the Dark Web.

By using the pseudonym of Horus, the agent was selling personal infos on a platform called ‘Black Hand’: with a price list from €30 to €300, the agent was offering to his customers a series of information ranging from bank coordinates to personal identification data like social security, identity card, registered vehicles, geolocalisation and much more data.

Thanks to his posting at the judicial division of DGSI, Horus had privileged access to the French Ministry of Justice's national platform on wiretapping, together with the databses from the police and Interpol –among his services, he also provided the tracking of mobile phones, turning the essential elements of state security to criminal aims.

The DGSI agent was requesting bitcoin as currency for his transactions, so not to leave any trace of his criminal acts: nevertheless, the internal security services of DSGI managed to get to Horus by discovering the documents he was selling, which he consulted by using his personal code. According to police sources, he was in contact with several members of organized criminal networks, who were eager to get information about any possibile judicial investigation on them, as well as people involved in financial crimes.

The case of Horus sheds a sinister light on how French intelligence services recruit their personnel and control their activities: the renegade agent could have easily sold his precious informations to a terrorist group, something which should not be excluded considering the recent history of failures by the security agencies in preventing Islamist terrorist acts on French soil.

Sources:

Libya: what is Mahmud Al-Werfalli really saying to Oun Al-Farjani?

2017-11-22T17:04:00.001+01:00

There is more than one leaked phone call version between Mahmud Al-Werfalli, Commander of Saiqa forces, and Oun Al-Farjani, a senior tribal aide to General Khalifa Haftar, circulating on the web.

According to online prominent libyan website Libya Observer Al-Werfalli "used rude and cheeky words...threatening Al-Farjani with dire consequences if their demands were not met, asking him to convey the demands to the General Command". That version of leaked telephone conversation is full of "BEEP", covering some words of Al-Werfalli.

Commenting the leaked audio a lot of users have written about a full version conversation available on some YouTube channels managed by libyan user accounts where is possible to better understand omitted passages and the harsh insults of Al-Werfalli to Al-Farjani (screenshots above).

Turkish Hacking Group Suspected of taking down the website of Austrian Foreign Ministry

2017-03-09T13:18:00.000+01:00

Austrian daily Kronen Zeitung reported speculations about the possible involvement of the Turkish "Lion Soldiers" ("Aslan Neferler") hacking group in taking down the website of the Austrian Foreign Ministry for a short time March 6. The homepage was offline for a few minutes.

Authorities responded quickly also to the threat scenario involving Austrian Airlines flights from the United States to Austria.

According to Kronen Zeitung they received an "unspecified threat" for March 4.

After lengthy security checks, the aircraft from Miami and New York could take off only with considerable delays.

The Office for the Protection of the Constitution, Austria's Domestic Intelligence Agency, is investigating in all direction.

The Turkish "Lion Soldiers" hacking group is strongly suspected of being involved.

Russian Intelligence Agency GRU behind attempted coup in Montenegro

2017-02-23T09:43:00.000+01:00

According to the Montenegrin Prosecutor's Office Russian Main Intelligence Agency (GRU) are behind the attempted coup in Montenegro.

Riga-based online newspaper and news aggregator in the Russian language Menduza reported that "Eduard Shishmakov, former deputy military attache at the Russian Embassy in Poland, planned the murder of Prime Minister Milo Djukanovic on 16 October 2016".

Montenegro put Eduard Shirokov on the wanted list via Interpol. The Interpol database contains his photograph. On 19 February 2017 Montenegrin Special Prosecutor Milivoje Katnic stated that the real name of one of the plotters was not Shirokov but Shishmakov.

According to Menduza, Shirokov and another suspect, Vladimir Popov, passed 200,000 euros to Serbian nationalist Aleksandar Sindjelic, who had fought in the Donbas on the side of the pro-Russian separatists, in order for him to find people to carry out the coup.

According to Balkan Insight, a publication of the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network (BIRN), Shirokov worked earlier at the Russian Embassy in Poland and was thrown out of the country for espionage.

In November 2014 a Russian Embassy staffer suspected of working for the Russian Main Intelligence Agency (GRU) was expelled from Poland.
His name was not disclosed at the time. At that time Polish media reported that Shishmakov was a spy but Russian officials denied this

Meduza has found a reference to a staffer at the Russian Embassy in Poland by the name of Shishmakov.

A man described as deputy military attaché at the Russian Embassy in Poland, attending a commemorative event Polish veterans of World War II in 2013, resembling the person of the photograph in the Interpol database.

British Intelligence Seeks Influence over Libya by Funding Egyptian Media to Disrupt Russian Role

2017-02-14T12:48:00.004+01:00

British Intelligence is aiming at strenghtening its presence in Libya by lobbying its “local partner” the Cairo based media network Al Wasat and therefore influencing the political and military course of action whiledisrupting the Russian presence in the east of the country.

According to Maghreb Confidential and sources in Brussels, British Intelligence - as well as other EU intelligence agencies - is “worried about Haftar's allies, led by Russia and the United Arab Emirates that are showing their support for him increasingly open”.

"British Intelligence seeks influence over Libya to disrupt Russian presence"

British Intelligence asked for the support of Egyptian Intelligence to avoid leaving the task of finding a solution to the Libyan question solely in the hands of Vladimir Putin.

Intelligence Online reports that during a secret visit to London last week the Egyptian army chief of staff Mahmood Hijazi, accompanied by his intelligence officials, obtained a promise from Michael Fallon, Britain's defence minister, that Britain would increase intelligence cooperation with Egypt. From its base in Cyprus. GCHQ, the British signal intelligence, is expected to transmit more data from Sinai to the Egyptian government to monitor and control political opposition.

On the other side Egyptian officials welcomed the visit of British Ambassador to Libya Peter Millett and British intelligence representatives last 8 February to Al-Wasat network headquarters in Cairo and discussed the Libyan crisis with its media officials and Libyan youths working in Al-Wasat's newspaper, website, and Radio. The ambassador was also briefed on Al-Wasat organization and the aspects of its journalistic work.

"British Intelligence offered to fund Al Wasat"

At the end of the meeting British intelligence officials offered funds to Al Wasat in an attempt to overtly exert influence over Libya's political and economic spheres, working on disrupting the Russian presence and emerging role in the country.

French Intelligence has no doubt that Russian Spies Will Try to Disrupt Presidential Campaign

2017-02-09T16:59:00.001+01:00

The General Directorate for External Security (DGSE), the main French Intelligence Agency, has no doubt that Russian spies are going to try to repeat the Trump election stunt by revealing the data and emails of Presidential candidates.

According to French investigative newspaper Le Canard Enchaine "hackers are bursting with energy in their attempt to disrupt the French presidential campaign".

The leading target of their attacks is the site of candidate Emmanuel Macron. The site had to face with at least 100 intrusion attempts last November, when the former minister announced his candidacy.

Ever since the polls began raising hopes of Macron making it to the second round against Marine Le Pen next May, they again -- and suddenly -- increased. Last January, the site had to deal with 1,922 attacks, 907 of which came from Ukraine.

Sputnik, news websites and radio broadcast service established by the Russian government-controlled news agency Rossiya Segodnya, relayed the threats made by WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, who claims to have "interesting information" about Macron.

Assange said "the data come from the private correspondence of former American Secretary of State Hillary Clinton."

France's Intelligence Agencies are convinced that an influence operation is being prepared.

Russian Yandex blocks political campaigns fundraising

2017-01-27T18:24:00.000+01:00

According to the online version of Moscow Radio Station Ekho Moskvy the Russian online payment service Yandex.Money has amended its user agreement blocking the possibility for fundraising political campaigns.

The Russian Central Bank denied an allegation by opposition politician Alexei Navalny that the bank was exerting pressure on Yandex.Money in order to block fundraising for Navalny's bid in the next presidential campaign.

The Central Bank said that it does not regulate elections and demanded an apology. Navalny described the bank's response as arrogant.

For his part, opposition Dmitry Gudkov suggested that Yandex.Money had received instructions to block political fundraising from Russian Intelligence Service (FSB) rather than the Central Bank.

Spanish National Police Arrests Peter Wakkie, a Businessman linked to Russian Hackers

2017-01-20T13:57:00.001+01:00

On 16 January, the National Police arrested Peter Wakkie at Madrid's Barajas-Adolfo Suarez Airport.

According Spanish Daily El Mundo he is a businessmen linked to a Russian millionaire, Mikhail Fridman, whom the US intelligence services accuse of having aided Russian hackers to access the Democrat Party's servers, with the goal of favoring the campaign of President-elect Donald Trump.

According to police sources, Wakkie' arrest took place after 10!00 hours in the morning, at Barajas Airport, taking advantage of the fact that this businessman was planning to take part at a Zed+ investors meeting in Spain's capital.

Zed+ is a Dutch holding, which investors include a number of Spanish business leaders, El Confidencial reported. According to this report, Zed+ is being investigated for continuously siphoning off funds to opaque corporations, in some cases in the hands of leading members of the Russian administration.

According to preliminary information in the hands of the Spanish Police's Financial and Tax Crime Unit (UDEF), those families include that of Interior Minister Alexander Kolokoltsev.

A number of intelligence services are investigating this corporate structure, which "brain" seems to be Mikhail Fridman. This Russian millionaire of Ukrainian descent appears in the report by a British spy that the US Intelligence Agencies sent to the US Administration and to the President elect last week.

One of the pages in the mentioned confidential report is devoted to Fridman, due to his friendship with Vladimir Putin and for allegedly having helped Russia access the Democrat Party's servers.

The Dark Side of Haftar. UN and EU consider sanctions for the Libyan General

2017-01-17T19:17:00.001+01:00

Libya media (Afrigate News) reported today that a meeting was held yesterday at the headquarter of the General Command of the Libyan Armed forces in Al-Rajmah between General Khalifa Haftar, Prime Minister of the Transition Government Abdullah Al-Thini, self-suspended member of the Presidential Council Ali Al-Qatrani and the Armed Forces' Chief of Staff Gen. Abdelrazeq Al-Nadhouri.

According to well informed sources close to Al-Thini's entourage in Al-Baidha, the meeting aimed at bringing closer together the positions and views of Prime Minister Al-Thini and the Commander of the Libyan Armed Forces Khalifa Haftar after that last Wednesday the General visited the Russian Admiral Kuznetsov aircraft carrier.

"Al-Thini accused Haftar of a close and long relationship with French Intelligence Services"

Strong differences have emerged recently with regards to the mismanagement and shortfalls of several Government Ministries; the security situation in Sebha and the positions on key regional and international partners.

The meeting highlighted a clear distance between Al-Thini on one side and Haftar on the other side concerning the positions and steps to be taken via-à-vis the UN sponsored Libyan Dialogue, the UN Special Representative Martin Kobler and the relations with Russia and other relevant partners.

The same sources reported that during the meeting Al-Thini accused Haftar of a "close and long relationship with French Intelligence Services", who gave their backing to several attempts to undermine al-Thini role, and with the “new entry” Russian Foreign Intelligence Service, ready to support Haftar "with a large amount of money".

"Haftar had diverted money from the Libyan Army to buy property in Egypt and Jordan"

According local sources speaking under condition of anonymity said that Al-Thini screamed that "Haftar had deliberately stretched out the fighting in Benghazi, had targeted as, had set up a secret department to kill his opponents, had set fire to their homes and stolen their belonginhgs, had diverted money from the Libyan Army to buy property in Egypt and Jordan".

"Al-Thinni has the proofs that can push UN and EU to impose sanctions for Haftar"

The same source close to Al-Thini's entourage said that the Prime Minister is quite sure that if will reveal the proofs of crimes that Haftar has provoked in Benghazi, UN and EU will consider sanctions for the Libyan General.

Ali Al-Qatrani appeared in the meeting to show "a more conciliatory stance" suggesting a "more diplomatic approach to key European countries".

"Sources close to Al-Thini's entourage reported that Russian Intelligence will support Haftar with a large amount of money"

According to the same sources in Al-Baidha the the General Command is also "becoming the more and more divided, with few but relevant high ranking officers pushing for an harder position against the UN process and the countries that are clearly aligned with it".

Jihadist Recruitment Centers Operating From Ljubljana to Tetovo

2017-01-03T10:00:00.002+01:00

There are more than 100 Jihadist Recruitment Center operating in the Balkans, most of them in Bosnia-Herzegovina, main Serbian online newspaper Blic wrote.

In addition to Bosnia-Herzegovina, where there are about 64 jihadist training camps, most such cells and recruitment centers are to be found also in Macedonia and Kosovo.

The main Serbian jihadist recruitment stronghold is in Novi Pazar and its environs.

Big Islamist strongholds are to be found in Sjenica, Novi Pazar, Presevo, Bujanovac, and Medvedja.

The two most dangerous recruitment centers in the Balkans are located in Sarajevo and Zenica.

Bosnia-Herzegovina Police listed the village of Podgredina as one of the "most dangerous Wahhabi training spots."

Local people said at the time that they were against Wahhabi's coming to their village.

"The building of this house up in the hill where they worship was financed by some man in Austria and that is where they now congregate. On holidays, there are up to 30 cars up there," one of the local people said.

One of the most notorious Wahhabi strongholds is Gornja Maoca, that is in Bosnia-Herzegovina, where the flag of the Islamic State was even raised at one time.

Jihadist recruitment and training centers have reportedly been discovered also in the environs of Ljubljana in Slovenia, in Rijeka and Split in Croatia, in Gusinje, Plav, and Ulcinj in Montenegro, and in Kumanovo and Tetovo in Macedonia.

Last summer, Novi Pazar's Furqan place of worship (mesjid) was identified as a place where radical Islam was being preached. Serbian security services said at the time that this was not a center where fighters were being recruited for the war in Syria but that through it one could establish contract with the fighters.

Dutch Intelligence Service Try to Crack Whatsapp and Telegram

2016-12-23T15:28:00.003+01:00

Dick Schoof, National Coordinator for Security and Counterterrorism NCTV), attaches great importance for Dutch Intelligence (AIVD) to be able to crack the encryption used by messaging services such as Whatsapp and Telegram.

ANP News Agency reports main Shoff's statements. According to him if terrorists communicate through locked networks of this kind, then we want to break this encryption. It is difficult, but we do not accept that we cannot do it".

He seeks to reassure those who warn that the General Intelligence and Security Service (AIVD) is acquiring too much power: "it is necessary for the fight against terrorism and it is subject to effective control. Every organization in this field is driven by the values of our democratic rule-of-law state."

Schoof stresses that the threat of terrorism remains. "Together with the AIVD we see that ISIL has a planning unit that remains effective and that is in a position to plan and to carry out attacks in Europe. And it is a fact that returnees can try and regain entry to Europe unnoticed."

In the coming weeks other ISIL fighters will be brought back to the Netherlands by the Military Police and will be subject to thorough investigations. "The first wave of returnees were principally the disillusioned. Those returning now have been more involved. We no longer take anybody at their word when they look us in the face and say they were just cooks for ISIL."

Imams helped Turkish Intelligence (MIT) to Spy Members of Gulen Movement in Germany

2016-12-16T11:28:00.002+01:00

Cumhuriyet Journalist Mahmut Licali revealed that Turkish Imams in Germany have helped Turkish Intelligence Agency MIT (Millî İstihbarat Teşkilatı) in the search for information on suspected members of the Fethulah Gulen’s movement.

According to widespread German Newspaper Die Welt, the Turkish imams have spied on and filled reports, in some cases very detailed, on suspected Gulen supporters.

A Turkish parliamentary committee, tasked with looking into the backgrounds of the coup, has received reports from 50 diplomatic missions located in 38 countries.

Three of these reports originated in Germany, from the consulates-general in the cities of Cologne, Duesseldorf, and Munich.

They were compiled from information supplied by clerics employed by the Turkish-Islamic Union for the Institution of Religion (DITIB).

A significant proportion of those being spied on are likely to be German citizens.

World Largest Cement Producer LaFarge Accused of Funding Terrorism (Part 1)

2016-12-15T17:18:00.000+01:00

The Lafarge group, the world's largest cement producer, stands accused by NGO Sherpa of funding terrorism, according report published on France Info website. The French corporation kept a cement works in operation in Syria, at the risk of endangering its employees and funding the Islamic State of Syria and the Levant (ISIL).

The Lafarge site in Syria is a cement works with a production capacity of 7,000 tonnes a day, and which cost 600 million euros.

Nine of the cement works' employees were kidnapped.

Jacob Waerness, a former police officer from Norwegian intelligence recruited by Lafarge to ensure the site's security, established contact with the kidnappers.

He feared the employees would be executed.

The negotiations lasted three weeks. Lafarge decided to pay up to secure their release.

Over 200,000 euros in cash were handed over to militias who claimed to belong to the Free Syrian Army.

Jacob Waerness recounted how he handed the money over to the militias. "We drove across the desert to the meeting point. It was around midnight. I had a group of rebels to protect me. We paid the ransom for the employees and they made off with it."

German Intelligence Has Findings Russian Attempts To Influence Bundestag Election Through Cyber Attacks

2016-12-09T17:38:00.002+01:00

German Intelligence has accurate findings revealing that cyber attacks to influence Bundestag election are being carried out from Russia.

Frankfurter Allgemeine, widespread German daily, reported that Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV), the Federal Republic of Germany's domestic security agency, whose duties include counter-espionage, has stated that Russian “propaganda and influence-wielding operations” had been carried out by Russian State Agencies.

Russian state agencies are believed to wage cyber attacks under the guise of alleged hacker activists. Since the start of the Ukraine war, the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV) has noted a “substantial increase” in Russian propaganda and disinformation campaigns in Germany, and reports that there is a “massive deployment of Russian financial resources.”

According German Intelligence "these attacks took place under a bogus flag" and should be considered an "Advanced Persistent Threat" (APT), a sophisticated and ongoing threat to a complex IT infrastructure

"Russian State Agencies carried out propaganda and influence operations"

Hans-Georg Maassen, President of the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV), stated that “cyber operations posing a possible threat to members of the German government, members of the Bundestag, and the staff of democratic parties are ongoing. The pointers to attempts to influence next year’s Bundestag election are solidifying”.

Hans-Georg Maassen expressed the fear that information stolen in that kind of attacks on computer systems would be used in the election campaign, for the purpose of discrediting politicians.

Serbian Intelligence Agencies Monitor 350 Jihadists Returnees from Iraq and Syria

2016-12-05T13:34:00.000+01:00

Serbian Intelligence Agencies compiled a list of about 350 Jihadists from Kosovo and Metohija left to fight in Syria and Iraq, according Politika website.

Igor Becic, the chairman of the Serbian Security Services Control Committee, revealed that "11 jihadists have recently returned from Iraq and Syria".
According Igor Becic, Serbian Intelligence Agencies "have information and operational data as to where they were. They left under the pretext of attending education courses and have documents to prove it".

About 70 went from Sandzak and 17 members of the Chetnik Movement went to fight in the war in Ukraine.

Fighters from Kosovo and Metohija mostly go to fight in foreign wars for financial reasons, while those from Bosnia-Herzegovina and Sandzak mostly go for ideological reasons.co

Source within Serbian Intelligence Agencies said that "it is an open secret that jihadists from Serbia are recruited for Syria and Iraq by representatives of illegal agencies that supposedly offer training services for bodyguards and security officers".

Same source revealed that "a foot soldier in Iraq and Syria makes between 1,000 and 2,000 euros. The amount depends on how high up he is in the ISIL hierarchy. If he is a member of a special unit or commands a group, he is paid several thousand euros more".

These fighters first undergo ideological indoctrination, followed by seven days of training in the use of weapons, planting of explosives, sabotage, and so on.

Syria: Spanish Intelligence has resumed contacts with Bashar al-Assad

2016-11-29T11:56:00.002+01:00

Spanish Intelligence ("diplomat") has resumed contacts with Bashar al-Assad in Syria, according Georges Malbrunot, well informed Middle East expert and blogger on French newspaper Le Figaro.

On November 28, Le Figaro wrote that "a Spanish diplomat has been located at a major hotel in Damascus" where he is in contact with security officials of Syrian Intelligence for an information exchange about "the numerous Moroccan jihadis passing trough Spain for going to fight in Syria".

Madrid has authorized a Syrian intelligence agent to work in the Spanish capital.

Kosovo Intelligence and Police Arrest ISIL linked Group Plotting Terrorist Attacks in the Balkans

2016-11-22T18:10:00.001+01:00

Under the supervision of the Kosovo Intelligence Agency [KIA], the Special Prosecution of Kosovo, and some international Intelligence Services, the Kosovo police have arrested 19 ISIL "soldiers" of Lavdrim Muhaxheri, who were coordinated focused to carry out terrorist attacks in the Balkans, but firstly in Kosovo and specifically in Albania, were the Albania-Israel soccer match for the 2018 World Cup qualifications was played.

According Albanian newspaper Zeri the first group of the arrested persons -- Bujar Brahimi, Visar Ibishi, Liriodon Morina, Burim Istrefi, Leutrim Musliu, Kenan Plakaj, and Leotrim Vojvoda -- have been accused by the Special Prosecution of Kosovo of plotting terrorist attacks. It is suspected that all of them are part of the ISIL terrorist group. They had planned to carry out terrorist attacks initially in Kosovo and then in other Balkan countries.

Special Prosecution of Kosovo said that "there is convincing evidence that the defendants, Bujar Brahimi, Visar Ibishi, Liriodon Morina, Burim Istrefi, Leutrim Musliu, Kenan Plakaj, and Leotrim Vojvoda belong to the ISIL terrorist organization. Instructed by former leader of the Albanians in Syria, Lavdrim Muhaxheri, defendant Bujar Brahimi was willingly involved in terrorist activities of that organization during the period September-October 2016".

"Kosovo Intelligence Agency arrested 19 ISIL soldiers linked to Lavdrim Muhaxheri"

Special Prosecution of Kosovo added that "they are suspected of having planned terrorist attacks, initially in Kosovo and then in other countries of the Balkans. They planned attacks on various facilities, including security institutions, with the aim of causing serious fear among the population, destabilization and destruction of basic political, constitutional, economic, and social structures in different countries, and then to establish in their territories the so-called ISIL (Islamic State of Iraq and Levant)".

Security experts have said that the fact that the number of arrested people on suspicion of planning terrorist attacks is so big in this case should serve as a wake-up call to the security institutions to cope with serious terrorism threats.

According to Behar Selimi, former director of the Kosovo Police, "if the security institutions' claims that we were dealing with a planned terrorist attack are corroborated, this means Kosovo is not facing a minor threat but rather a direct national security threat against the institutions and the citizens in general. So if the charges that we have seen about an ISIL cell in Kosovo will be confirmed during an investigation process, it is obvious that we are dealing with something serious".

Kosovar Irfan Haqifi Suspected to join ISIL

2016-11-04T15:01:00.000+01:00

Albanian language newspaper Koha Ditore reported that “Irfan Haqifi, a kosovar citizen under house arrest, left Kosovo on 15 July and is suspected of having joined ISIL”. He managed to go to the conflict area from a third country during that period of time.

Irfan Haqifi is the brother of Ridvan Haqifi, one of the main commanders of Albanians in Syria, alongside Lavderim Muhaxheri, who only one month earlier threatened the Balkans that he would take vengeance against those "who humiliated the Muslims in Kosovo, Albania, Macedonia, and Bosnia-Herzegovina".

Another Kosovar citizens, Betim Ibrahimaj, suspected for terrorism, also managed to escape from house arrest and is suspected of being in the armed conflict zone in Syria.

In addition to Irfan Haqifi and Betim Ibrahimaj, also Egzon Iseni and Rron Emini left Kosovo, while it is not known when exactly Amir Vuniqi fled the Country.

Both Irfan Haqifi and Betim Ibrahimaj left the territory of Kosovo illegally, but the Kosovo Police have no information about the entry-exit registration system and have not proved whether the same managed to penetrate in the conflict zone in Syria or Iraq.

According to security experts, Haqifi's and Ibrahimaj's escape from house arrest proves the justice system's lack of seriousness in treating terrorism cases.

Florian Qehaja from the Kosovar Center for Security Studies said that the court's and prosecution's experience in dealing with these issues was almost inexistent or very limited.

Last May The New York Times published "How Kosovo Was Turned Into Fertile Ground for ISIS" on how "extremist clerics and secretive associations funded by Saudis and others have transformed a once-tolerant Muslim society into a font of extremism".

Serbian Intelligence Have Blocked and Expelled Russians for Espionage in Montenegro

2016-10-31T13:44:00.002+01:00

Belgrade website Dnevni List Danas revealed that "Serbian Intelligence Agencies have blocked and expelled several Russian nationals for involvement and espionage in preparation of terror operations in Montenegro".

Serbian Intelligence Agency (BIA) and prosecution organs had "isolated" a group of about a dozen people suspected of associating on Serbian territory for the purpose of carrying out operations against the authorities in Montenegro.

"Serbian Intelligence blocked Russian nationals equipped with devices to spy Montenegrin PM Milo Djukanovic"

According to some local media outlets “the group were equipped with devices to track the movements of Montenegrin Prime Minister Milo Djukanovic and with apparatus that blocked the Montenegrin Intelligence Services to locate them”.

This group was not arrested yet but “they were deposed and their surveillance equipment, telephone communication jamming devices, uniforms, and about 125,000 euros, among other things, were seized”.

Until now no concrete link was found between this group and the group of Serbian nationals arrested in Montenegro at the time of the 16 October election.

Serbian government has already completed procedures in connection with the Russian nationals that have been expelled from Serbia.

New Anti-Hacking System Will Protect Russian Defense Ministry

2016-10-24T17:31:00.000+02:00

Russian news agency Interfax has reported that "a new anti-hacking system will protect Russian Defense Ministry facilities from cyber attacks citing an unnamed representative of Russia's United Instrument-Building Corporation (OPK)".

An OPK source told to Interfax that "elements of this system have already been deployed at over 500 facilities, including the National Defense Control Centre", referring to the top command and control center of the Russian Defense Ministry.

Source added that the threat detection system had been tested over two years, during which time it had been "significantly improved".

According to the source, the complex is capable of detecting cyber attacks in real-time mode and preventing emerging threats. With the help of special sensors the system analyses network traffic, assesses the level of the attack and pinpoints the spot from which it came.

Egyptian Intelligence Service Monitor Account on Social Media

2016-10-20T18:09:00.000+02:00

According Al Bawaba website Egyptian Intelligence Service is monitoring Social Media accounts of Muslim Brotherhood, the 6th April Movement, a number of human rights organizations, that have launched new accounts on various social media websites Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp and Viber.

Sources pointed out that the Intelligence services in coordination with the National Security Department will trace voice mail and e-emails across social media websites with the use of the latest technical equipment that permit to monitor social networking programs such as Facebook, Viber, Twitter, WhatsApp, Twitter, Line, and other websites.

"Egyptian Intelligence Service is monitoring Social Media accounts of human rights organizations"

Egyptian Intelligence sources said that the Interior Ministry's General Internet Investigation Department also intensified security investigations into the accounts belonging to a number of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) organization who are using social media to promote violent ideas and deliver instructions to target the army and police forces.

Belgian Intelligence Will Have More Powers

2016-10-14T15:16:00.000+02:00

The General Intelligence and Security Service (GISS), known in Dutch as Algemene Dienst Inlichting en Veiligheid (ADIV), the Belgian Military Intelligence service under responsibility of the Minister of National Defense, is going to have more powers abroad.

According Belgian Newspaper De Standaard "military spies are struggling with the problem that they are not allowed to do much outside the Country".

For example when troops find the cell phone of a suicide terrorist during an overseas mission the General Intelligence and Security Service (GISS/ADIV) is not allowed to search through it for information about a terror network, because of that comes under "special procedures".

A change in that will come soon.

De Stantaard reports that "the General Intelligence and Security Service (GISS/ADIV) will be allowed to perform the observation of residences or the opening of mailboxes, through the placement of cameras and locating terrorists, to hacking computers and smartphones, wiretapping of foreign communications that run through data cables as telephony, e-mails, Internet traffic and so on".

The General Intelligence and Security Service (GISS/ADIV) could be considered as the counterpart of the British Secret Intelligence Service (MI6).

Russian Security Service FSB Plans to Decrypt Internet Traffic

2016-10-05T16:13:00.002+02:00

Natalya Kasperskaya

Russian newsaper Kommersant reported that "Federal Security Service (FSB) plans to decrypt internet traffic".

Natalya Kasperskaya, President of the 'InfoWatch' Group of companies, said that Russian authorities had plans to decrypt internet traffic coming from Russian users.

According to Kommersant "one of the discussed tools for decrypting internet traffic is the use of special equipment that can decipher traffic received from the server and encrypt it again with an SSL certificate issued by a Russian certification authority before sending it to a user".

Kasperskaya said that the possibility of granting powers to the Russian authorities to issue an SSL certificate was discussed between Roskomnadzor (Russian federal executive body responsible for overseeing the media) and the Federal Security Service (FSB).

Alexei Kachalin, Director of Expert Security Center at Positive Technologies, warned that "main internet service providers could loose market share to their foreign competitors if they were under control of a regime".