Tag: MI5

Categories
-Top News UK News

MI5 sued by Manchester Arena bomb survivors

A group of 250 survivors and relatives of those who died say MI5 could have prevented the attack, and that negligence in failing to do so breaches the “right to life” enshrined in the UK’s Human Rights Act…reports Asian Lite News

Intelligence agency MI5 is being sued by hundreds of survivors of the 2017 Manchester Arena bombing.

Twenty-two people were killed at an Ariana Grande concert in May that year when Salman Abedi, 22, detonated a homemade device loaded with nuts and bolts in the venue’s foyer, leaving hundreds more injured.

An inquiry into the attack subsequently found “there was a realistic possibility that actionable intelligence could have been obtained which might have led to actions preventing the attack.”

Sir John Saunders, the presiding judge in the inquiry, added that an MI5 officer had missed a “significant” opportunity to act and that there was a lack of communication between the intelligence agency and counterterrorism police.

A group of 250 survivors and relatives of those who died say MI5 could have prevented the attack, and that negligence in failing to do so breaches the “right to life” enshrined in the UK’s Human Rights Act.

MI5 will be required to present all evidence about how preventable the situation was at a hearing likely to happen in early 2025.

The inquiry found that MI5 had received information on Abedi in the months before the attack, but an official, identified as Witness J, said it had been treated as a criminal matter, and not related to terrorism. On questioning, Saunders found that other MI5 officials had held concerns at the time that this was a mistake, and that in any event, MI5 had kept the information it received about Abedi secret.

Saunders said that had it been treated differently and action taken, Abedi might conceivably have been detained on May 18, 2017 when he arrived at Manchester Airport from Libya with, it is believed, items related to bomb-making.

In 2023 MI5 Director General Ken McCallum issued an apology on behalf of the agency, saying that it was “profoundly sorry” for what had happened.

A spokesperson for three law firms representing the complainants — Hudgell Solicitors, Slater and Gordon and Broudie Jackson Canter — said: “Legal teams representing injured survivors of the Manchester Arena bombing in 2017 can confirm that they have collectively submitted a group claim on behalf of more than 250 clients to the Investigatory Powers Tribunal. As it is an ongoing legal matter, we are unable or provide any further details, or comment further, at this stage.”

A legal source told The Times: “This legal action is not about money or compensation, it’s about holding MI5 to account for failing to prevent 22 people dying and many hundreds more being seriously injured.”

Legal action against intelligence services in the UK, which goes through the Investigatory Powers Tribunal rather than the UK court system, is rare but not unprecedented.

In 2016 Prime Minister Theresa May was forced to issue an apology for the role played by MI6 in the rendition, detention and torture of Abdul Hakim BelHajj by the US in 2004. BelHajj’s wife, who was detained alongside him and was pregnant at the time, received £500,000 ($622,850) in compensation.

Joseph Kotrie-Monson, whose law firm represented a former British intelligence officer suing the UK government over post-traumatic stress resulting from his work, told The Times: “There is always the challenge of proving causation in any case where a public body has been accused of a failure in its duties, particularly when it comes to the security services.

“Disclosure of evidence is also often a terminal problem for any legal action, and typically the domestic courts will err on the side of caution when it comes to government bodies protecting confidential information.

“However, this particular forum, and the human rights claim, may be well suited to dealing with the challenges of a complaint against a clandestine organization like MI5.”

ALSO READ-Sunak’s attempt to ban smoking is nuts, says Johnson

Categories
-Top News UK News

Woman sues MI5 for calling her a Chinese agent

Lawyers representing MI5 argued in court filings that no further disclosure to Lee was required…reports Asian Lite News

A woman branded a Chinese agent by Britain’s domestic intelligence service MI5 is suing the agency in a bid to clear her name, with her lawyers on Tuesday trying to compel MI5 to disclose why it warned lawmakers about her.

MI5 sent out an alert about Christine Lee in January 2022, alleging she was “involved in political interference activities” in the United Kingdom on behalf of China’s ruling Communist Party.

House of Commons Speaker Lindsay Hoyle, who circulated MI5’s alert to lawmakers, said MI5 had found that Lee “has facilitated financial donations to serving and aspiring parliamentarians on behalf of foreign nationals based in Hong Kong and China”.

Lee denies the allegations and is now taking legal action against MI5 at a London tribunal, seeking unspecified damages for alleged breaches of her human rights.

Her lawyer Tony Muman told the Investigatory Powers Tribunal on Tuesday that the so-called interference alert issued by MI5 was the first such alert issued in “at least 80 years”.

He said Lee was unaware any such alert had been issued until she saw media reporting of her having been “branded an enemy of the state”.

“There has been a serious and public attack on (Lee’s) reputation without any prior finding of guilt,” he said in court filings. “Her claim is that she is a victim of the state’s actions and she seeks to protect her fundamental rights.”

Tuesday’s hearing concerned Lee’s application for disclosure from MI5, relating to any factual findings the agency made about her alleged interference in British politics.

Lawyers representing MI5 argued in court filings that no further disclosure to Lee was required.

The agency’s lawyer Rosemary Davidson said the interference alert was issued “to protect parliamentary democracy from the threat posed by foreign political interference”.

ALSO READ-Tulu queen who united Hindus, Muslims against Portuguese

Categories
-Top News UK News

MI5 deputy appointed as first woman cyber spy chief

GCHQ, which traces its roots back to the early 20th century after the outbreak of World War One, follows MI5, three decades later, in appointing a female head…reports Asian Lite News

Britain named Anne Keast-Butler as the first female director of its intelligence communications agency GCHQ on Tuesday, tasked with protecting the country from terrorists, cyber-criminals and malign foreign powers.

She will take over the role in May, succeeding Jeremy Fleming who is stepping down after a six-year tenure.

Foreign Secretary James Cleverly, who made the appointment, said Keast-Butler had an impressive track record  at the heart of Britain’s national security network. “Anne will  use her vast experience to help keep the British public safe,” he said.

She is currently  deputy director general at Britain’s domestic intelligence agency, known as MI5. GCHQ is Britain’s main eavesdropping agency and has a close relationship with the U.S. National Security Agency as well as with counterparts in Canada, Australia and New Zealand in a consortium called “Five Eyes”.

GCHQ, which traces its roots back to the early 20th century after the outbreak of World War One, follows MI5, three decades later, in appointing a female head.

Stella Rimington became the first woman to lead MI5 in 1992 and was said to have inspired the casting of Judi Dench in the role of “M”, head of Britain’s foreign intelligence service known as MI6, in the James Bond movies a couple of years later.

GCHQ provided a rare statement on its offensive cyber work earlier this month, revealing that its hackers had launched operations against militants, state-backed disinformation campaigns and attempts to interfere in elections.

The group also works with MI6, MI5, police, the government’s defence department and overseas partners, and in the private sector and academia.

ALSO READ-CBI boss sacked over misconduct claims

Categories
-Top News China

FBI, MI5 chiefs warn of China threat

The Chinese government has a longstanding practice of hacking and stealing proprietary information to try to get an economic advantage…reports Asian Lite News

FBI Director Christopher Wray and United Kingdom MI5 Director General Ken McCallum have urged business leaders to be aware of the threat from the Chinese government and help the government agencies protect corporate secrets from theft by China.

Addressing business leaders in London, Wray said, “We consistently see that it’s the Chinese government that poses the biggest long-term threat to our economic and national security, and by ‘our,’ I mean both of our nations, along with our allies in Europe and elsewhere.”

He said the Chinese government poses an even more serious threat to Western businesses than even many sophisticated businesspeople realize. “The Chinese government is set on stealing your technology–whatever it is that makes your industry tick–and using it to undercut your business and dominate your market. And they’re set on using every tool at their disposal to do it,” he said.

Wray said China often disguises its hand in order to obtain influence and access where companies don’t suspect it. “Outside of China, their government uses elaborate shell games to disguise its efforts from foreign companies and from government investment-screening programs like CFIUS, America’s Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S.”

Adding to what FBI Director, McCallum said most of what is at risk from Chinese Communist Party aggression is not, so to speak, my stuff. “It’s yours.” “The world-leading expertise, technology, research, and commercial advantage developed and held by people in this room, and others like you.”

The Chinese government has a longstanding practice of hacking and stealing proprietary information to try to get an economic advantage.

Wray also spoke about the China threat and emphasized the importance of partnerships to address it. This is the first time the two leaders have gathered to address a global threat with an audience of business and academic leaders.

“We’re not just in the business of articulating problems, we’re doing something about them, together with MI5, with the private sector itself, with other government partners,” Wray said.

Wray encouraged the business leaders to partner with the FBI and MI5 so they can have the appropriate intelligence about this threat. The information can also help companies decide whether partnering with China is worth the risk of having proprietary information stolen. Companies must take the long view in making decisions about China, just as the FBI and MI5 are approaching the threat from a long-term perspective.

“Maintaining a technological edge may do more to increase a company’s value than would partnering with a Chinese company to sell into that huge Chinese market, only to find the Chinese government and your ‘partner’ stealing and copying your innovation,” Wray said.

According to the FBI, the counterintelligence and economic espionage efforts emanating from the government of China and the Chinese Communist Party are a grave threat to the economic well-being and democratic values of the United States.

Confronting this threat is the FBI’s top counterintelligence priority. “To be clear, the adversary is not the Chinese people or people of Chinese descent or heritage. The threat comes from the programs and policies pursued by an authoritarian government,” according to the FBI.

The Chinese government is employing tactics that seek to influence lawmakers and public opinion to achieve policies that are more favourable to China, according to US security agencies.

At the same time, the Chinese government is seeking to become the world’s greatest superpower through predatory lending and business practices, systematic theft of intellectual property, and brazen cyber intrusions.

China’s efforts target businesses, academic institutions, researchers, lawmakers, and the general public and will require a whole-of-society response. The government and the private sector must commit to working together to better understand and counter the threat. (ANI)

ALSO READ-Reshaping Hong Kong into China with controls, surveillance