A French renegade intelligence agent sheds a sinister light on DGSI

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:

• Journal du Geek
• Le Parisien 
• MSN

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

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.

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

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".

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

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."

French Intelligence Tasked to Detect Radicalized Persons into the Army

French Intelligence has been tasked with detecting radicalized persons within the Army ranks after a dozen former French soldiers have taken up arms against the coalition in the Iraq–Syria zone. The General Directorate for External Security (DGSE) and the General Directorate for Internal Security (DGSI) takes over in the event of a terrorist threat.

Aujourd'hui en France

L'Opinion

"All the profiles of our candidates are now scanned, including those wanting to join the reserves," one senior military source said.

According several French newspapers as Aujourd'hui en France, L'Opinion and Le Point their weapons skills and knowledge of command structures, and above all the fact that ISIL is trying to hit the West by sending recruits to their countries of origin, raises obviously security questions.

A great role for ISIL recruiting has been covered by online propaganda.

"The General Directorate for External Security (DGSE) and the General Directorate for Internal Security (DGSI) Monitor radicalized persons into the Army"

Le Point

In January 2015 the daily L'Opinion cited the case of a soldier who served for five years in the 1st RPIMa, the elite paratroop regiment. After leaving the Army to join a company protecting oil sites, he joined the jihadist ranks.

Le Point cites the instructive story of a volunteer serving with the 1st Paratroop Infantry Regiment, shown in a video published on the Internet in April 2014 and entitled "A Day with the French Mojahedin".

French Intelligence Agency DGSE to preserve mixed civilian and military character

According to the French blog Secret Defense hosted by daily newspaper L'Opinion, military personnel account for no more than 25% of the French Intelligence Agency (DGSE) staff.

The percentage rises to 37%, if we include the Action Service [the Directorate-General for External Security (DGSE) military Division responsible for planning and performing clandestine operations].

"We do not want to go below that level and will maintain this proportion" sources at the DGSE headquarter explained.

The French Intelligence Agency aims at preserving the service's mixed (civilian and military) character, which is one of its historical specificities.

"The Armed Forces are finding it hard to supply human resources" that the DGSE needs, the blog reported, particularly when this is increasing.

The Agency, which now employs 6,500 people, is expected to reach 7,000 by 2019.

"DGSE aims to preserve mixed civilian and military character"

The DGSE has become a major employer: apart from its Action Service, over 2,200 people were hired between 2008 and 2013, and now "we recruit 500 people per year". "We are a young service, with an average age of 41", sources said.

The entrance examination has been changed, but some difficulties remain, particularly with regard to Arab speakers.

One of the DGSE's major internal challenges relates to "support".

A recent internal seminar on the "Service in 2025" highlighted the need to improve human resources support and management.

"We have somewhat neglected management and infrastructure" the French Intelligence Agency admits.

With regard to human resources and internal organization, the DGSE wants to "reinvigorate research activities, generally referred as "human intelligence" (HUMINT) and to create new links between the "research" and "analysis" branches.

French Intelligence and Martinique Gendarmerie Hunt for Moroccan Man linked with AQIM

French Intelligence and Martinique Gendarmerie Command hunt for a Moroccan man supposed of being linked with Al-Qa'ida in the Lands of the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM).

French newspaper Le Figaro reported that according to a statement released from Gendarmerie Command of the Caribbean Island (Martinique) "a Moroccan national, who had been under house arrest in the municipality of Morne-Rouge since 15 May 2014, has been flouting this ruling since the morning of Wednesday, 27 July 2016".

According to a French Intelligence file "Moroccan man helped AQIM to disseminate their message online". "He is considered to belong to the AQIM international jihadi movement".

French Intelligence and Martinique Gendarmerie released a description of the Moroccan Man "that is 40 years old, very skinny, 1.69-meter high, has an oval-shaped face, black eyes, and wavy mid-length light brown hair".

Russian Intelligence Warned on Terrorists Plan to Attack

Russian Intelligence have been warned that terrorists are planning to stage attacks in Russia with the use of transport vehicles.

According a source contacted from Russian website Life.ru "at the beginning of this week, Federal Security Service (FSB) and other Russian Intelligence Directorates received information about terrorists' plans to stage attacks with the use of cars and lorries in central streets of Russian cities".

Source said that "the attacks are supposed to follow a Nice scenario".

Life.ru has obtained documents that confirm information about "lone wolf preparing attacks", adding that steps are being taken to avert possible attacks.

Russian website reported that Russian Intelligence and Police "will step up security in Russia and the number of police patrols will be increased in crowded public areas".

Brazilian Police and Intelligence dismantled ISIL linked group

Brazilian Police, with the help of Brazilian Intelligence Agency (ABIN), dismantled an ISIL linked  group arresting another suspect for allegedly preparing to carry out terrorist acts against Rio Olympics 2016, that will start the next month.

According Brazilian website Jornal do Brasil the suspect was blocked by military police on 24 July in Comodoro, 656 km from Cuiaba and detained in the western state of Mato Grosso that borders with Bolivia.

The detainee is accused of being members of an online group who called themselves 'Defenders of Sharia'.

The group  pledged their allegiance to ISIL and celebrated recent mass terror attacks that occurred in Nice, France, and Orlando, United States.

The arrest is a part of the police's Operation Hashtag, which rounded up an initial 10 suspects on 21 July.

Another suspect, named Valdir Pereira da Rocha, handed himself in on 22 July to authorities in Mato Grosso state, at Vila Bela da Santissima Trindade, 562 km from Cuiaba.

He was transferred to the federal prison at Campo Grande, in Mato Grosso do Sul, with the rest of the group 'Defenders of Sharia'.

Brazilian Police and Brazilian Intelligence Agency (ABIN) are part of the 'Centro Integrado Antiterrorismo (Ciant)', to counter terrorist threats against the Rio Olympics 2016.

The group is working with Intelligence Agencies from United States, France, Belgium, Britain, Argentina and Paraguay.