Latest Espionage News

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...

Ex-CIA officer who spied for China gets 10 years in prison — and a lifetime of polygraph tests

Sep. 11, 2024 18:08 PM EDT

HONOLULU (AP) — A former CIA officer and contract linguist for the FBI who received cash, golf clubs and other expensive gifts in exchange for spying for China was sentenced Wednesday to 10 years in prison. Alexander Yuk Ching Ma, 71, made a deal in May with federal prosecutors,...

Declassified memo from US codebreaker sheds light on Ethel Rosenberg's Cold War spy case

Sep. 10, 2024 20:50 PM EDT

WASHINGTON (AP) — A top U.S. government codebreaker who decrypted secret Soviet communications during the Cold War concluded that Ethel Rosenberg knew about her husband's activities but “did not engage in the work herself,” according to a recently declassified memo that her sons say proves...

Why is Beijing interested in a mid-level government aide in New York State?

Sep. 05, 2024 11:23 AM EDT

BANGKOK (AP) — The decision by New York prosecutors to charge a former aide to the New York governor this week with acting as an illegal agent for the Chinese government has raised concerns about China's efforts to influence U.S. politics. Linda Sun held numerous roles in New York...

Indonesia deports an ex-Philippine town mayor accused in Manila of cybercrimes

Sep. 05, 2024 10:48 AM EDT

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Indonesia on Thursday deported a dismissed Philippine town mayor accused in Manila of helping establish an illegal online gaming and scam center and evading an investigation by the Philippine Senate. Alice Guo, 34, will continue her legal process in...

The arrest of a former aide to NY governors highlights efforts to root out Chinese agents in the US

Sep. 04, 2024 21:01 PM EDT

NEW YORK (AP) — A secret Chinese police station hiding in plain sight in New York City. Clandestine efforts by Communist Party operatives to spy on and bully Chinese expatriates. And now, charges that a former aide to two New York governors was secretly acting as an agent of the Chinese...