Australia’s main intelligence service has revealed a foreign spy network that has been active in the country for years, recruiting a former political official, academics, and businessmen.
“This politician sold his country, his party and his former colleagues to serve the interests of a foreign regime,” Mike Burgess, director-general of the Australian Security and Intelligence Organization, said in a speech on Wednesday in Canberra.
Burgess did not reveal the identity of the elected official nor the country for which the network was spying. But he explained that the politician had been recruited “years ago” and even suggested recruiting a member of the prime minister’s family into his “circle of spies.”
This information, which is rarely published in the field of counter-espionage operations, sparked sharp reactions and demands to reveal the politician’s identity.
“The problem is that if his name is not revealed, the names of others will not be revealed,” Conservative Opposition Leader Peter Dutton told 2GB radio in Sydney, calling on Burgess to provide “more information.”
Former Finance Minister Joe Hockey said the issue affected all MPs.
He explained to the national ABC channel: “This former politician is a traitor,” considering it “unreasonable” for him not to be “concerned.”
Defense Minister Richard Marles announced that he did not know the identity of the official, adding that “there may be many reasons for this.”
Burgess announced that the spy network worked for a unit called “A-Team,” explaining that he published this information with the aim of influencing its operations, informing its operators that its matter had been exposed, and warning the Australians of “a highly experienced, aggressive team.”
The network targets Australians who are able to access “extraordinary information” on social media sites using English-speaking “fake personas” and paying attractive cash rewards.
The spies pose as consultants, headhunters, local officials, academics and analysts at research institutes.
“If a target is trapped, the spies try to move the conversation to an encrypted messaging app,” the senior official said. “Another step could be to suggest a trip abroad for a personal meeting.”
Australia is a member of the G5, an intelligence alliance that also includes the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and New Zealand, making it a likely target for agents of countries such as China and Russia.
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