Latest Espionage News

UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy to visit China in an attempt to reset frosty relations

Oct. 17, 2024 09:23 AM EDT

LONDON (AP) — British Foreign Secretary David Lammy is making his first trip to China in office this week in an attempt to reset the U.K.'s ties with Beijing and seek “pragmatic engagement” despite human rights and other concerns. Relations between Britain and China have turned...

Cyber criminals are increasingly helping Russia and China target the US and allies, Microsoft says

Oct. 15, 2024 09:01 AM EDT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Russia, China and Iran are increasingly relying on criminal networks to lead cyberespionage and hacking operations against adversaries like the U.S., according to a report on digital threats published Tuesday by Microsoft. The growing collaboration between...

French citizen convicted in Russia of collecting military information and gets 3 years in prison

Oct. 14, 2024 14:11 PM EDT

MOSCOW (AP) — A Russian court on Monday convicted a French citizen of collecting military information and sentenced him to three years in prison. Laurent Vinatier, who was arrested in Moscow in June, earlier admitted guilt, setting the stage for a fast-tracked trial. His lawyers’...

Germany arrests woman who allegedly passed airport details to suspected spy for China

Oct. 01, 2024 06:06 AM EDT

BERLIN (AP) — German authorities have arrested a Chinese national accused of passing information on a major air freight hub to a man who is suspected of spying for China, prosecutors said Tuesday. The woman, identified only as Yaqi X. in line with German privacy rules, was arrested...

Australian judge rules that a case against alleged Russian spies must be finalized by December

Sep. 20, 2024 07:47 AM EDT

BRISBANE, Australia (AP) — An Australian judge on Friday gave prosecutors until December to finalize their case alleging that an army private and her husband are Russian spies. Russian-born couple Kira and Igor Korolev in July became the first suspected foreign operatives to be...

What to know about the two waves of deadly explosions that hit Lebanon and Syria

Sep. 19, 2024 13:08 PM EDT

NEW YORK (AP) — Just one day after pagers used by hundreds of members of the militant group Hezbollah exploded, more electronic devices detonated in Lebanon Wednesday in what appeared to be a second wave of sophisticated, deadly attacks that targeted an extraordinary number of people. ...

Families of Americans detained in China share their pain and urge US to get them home

Sep. 18, 2024 17:54 PM EDT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The families of four Americans detained in China said Wednesday that their loved ones are suffering both physically and mentally, urging the U.S. government to take action to bring them home. Appearing before the Congressional-Executive Commission of China, the...

US imposes sanctions on a spyware firm behind a tool used to spy on dissidents and journalists

Sep. 16, 2024 12:53 PM EDT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States announced new sanctions Monday against a commercial spyware company headed by a former Israeli military officer whose program allowed easy access to almost any information stored on a smartphone. U.S. officials and private researchers say...

Russia expels 6 British diplomats it accuses of spying. The UK calls it 'completely baseless'

Sep. 13, 2024 18:18 PM EDT

Russia on Friday accused six British diplomats of spying and said it decided to expel them. The U.K. said the “completely baseless” move came weeks ago and was linked to its action in May to revoke the credentials of an attaché at the Russian Embassy and limit Moscow’s diplomatic activities...

Russia-UK expulsions have targeted scores over past decades

Sep. 13, 2024 12:42 PM EDT

Moscow's announcement Friday of expelling six British diplomats for alleged espionage has drawn a strong rebuke from the United Kingdom while also intensifying animosity between Russia and the West over the war in Ukraine. However, the six are but a small number in the history of...