Fake Activist spied on Campaign Group
international |
environment |
news report 
Wednesday April 09, 2008 02:21
by Ms. Moneypenny
amateur spy was "more Austin Powers than James Bond"
In Britain, a paid spy has been uncovered among the activists in the PLANE STUPID Campaign.
PLANE STUPID is a loose network of groups taking action against airport expansion and aviation's climate impact. The agent claimed to be a recent graduate who was interested in helping out with direct actions, protests and awareness-raising. He contacted the campaign after the high-profile Heathrow Climate camp last summer.
Fellow campaigners noticed that he was not on the electoral register, and when they asked him for some ID he couldn't provide any. He offered instead to get a letter from one of his old college lecturers.
Once they had an idea of which college he'd attended, activists emailed a picture of him to someone who is still a student there. They quickly identified him and provided his real name. Surprisingly, the spy is actually listed on the internet as working as an "analyst" for a security company called C2i (Command Control Intelligence).
While this spy is obviously something of an amateur, what is certain is that he won't be the last undercover operator to infiltrate Plane Stupid. There are probably other, better, spies embedded in the campaign already.
What is also certain is that other campaign groups are regularly spied on and infiltrated by private security agencies both in Britain and here in Ireland.
Plane Stupid Press Release:
INTERNATIONAL ESPIONAGE AGENCY TARGETED HEATHROW PROTESTERS
Aviation industry in the frame as Plane Stupid investigation exposes mole
Climate action group Plane Stupid has been targeted by a professional espionage agency.
Oxford-educated Toby Kendall, 24, an employee of aerospace security consultants C2i International , infiltrated and spied on Heathrow campaign groups across London for a year. He was immediately suspected and following a Plane Stupid investigation he was last week confronted and exposed by a Plane Stupid activist. Read More: http://tinyurl.com/5wca8t
More Information:
More Austin Powers than James Bond: http://tinyurl.com/6renn3
Behind the Bamboo Curtain: http://tinyurl.com/5aa7dj
Recent PLANE STUPID action at the British Parliament Building in London