A Russian spy ring operating in the UK has been exposed, with a key suspect living in a seemingly ordinary seaside hotel packed with sophisticated surveillance equipment.
A Russian spy was living in a 'typical seaside hotel' on the English coast crammed full of electronic surveillance equipment, a court has heard. Orlin Roussev boasted to his controller that he was becoming like the James Bond character 'Q' as he prepared his spying 'toys' for kidnap and surveillance operations across Europe. He is said to have taken instructions from a handler called Jan Marsalek, who is wanted in connection with a £1.6bn tech fraud linked to a company called Wirecard.
Roussev, 46, a Bulgarian national, has pleaded guilty to running a spy ring on behalf of the Russians, but three other members of the group deny the charges. The Old Bailey was told a 'vast' amount of technical equipment for 'intrusive surveillance' was found at Roussev's address in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, which he described in messages as his 'Indiana Jones warehouse'. The Haydee guest house on Prince's Road had 33 rooms according to Dan Pawson-Pounds, prosecuting. Inside three of them was a 'significant amount of IT and surveillance equipment'. It was stacked up in two storage rooms and an office used by Roussev, the court was told. The jury heard that Operation Skirp seized 3,540 exhibits from a number of addresses, including 1,650 digital exhibits, and was shown two 'IMSI grabbers' - a black metal box capable of capturing mobile phone numbers from a nearby area. Both devices were described as 'law enforcement grade' and could be used to intercept or disrupt targeted mobile phone communications and to identify an individual phone by their IMSI and IMEI numbers, in conjunction with a direction-finding unit. The spies planned to use them outside a US military base in Stuttgart, Germany, to gather information from the phones of Ukrainian servicemen who were being trained to operate Patriot missile defence batteries, the prosecution said. The information would have allowed them to track the servicemen back to Ukraine and identify where the missiles were fired from, but the plan was foiled when the men were arrested in February last year. Read more on the trial:Five suspected of spying for Russia charged, CPS saysSpies in love triangle to be used in 'honeytrap' across EuropeSpies plotted to kidnap Salisbury attack journalist Gadgets with hidden cameras part of evidence Other findings included pendant necklaces with hidden cameras, water bottles with mobile phone-linked video surveillance capability, a Pandora car key cloning device, and more traditional surveillance equipment such as night vision binoculars and mobile radios. The spy ring's members allegedly included Katrin Ivanova, 33, a lab assistant from Harrow, North London, Vanya Gaberova, 30, a beautician from Acton, West London, and Tihomir Ivanchev, 39, a painter and decorator from Enfield. Roussev and Biser Dzhambazov - a 43-year-old man from London who is also an alleged member of the ring - have both pleaded guilty to conspiracy to collect information useful to an enemy. Gaberova, Ivanova, and Ivanchev all deny the charges and the trial continues. All five are Bulgarian nationals with 'settled status' in the UK. More equipment - including a black cap with a concealed camera and a one-litre plastic Coke bottle with waterproof camera behind the label - was found in the lounge at a North London flat shared by Ivanova and Dzhambazov, the trial has heard. The trial continues
SPYING RUSSIA UK SURVEILLANCE INTERNATIONALSECURITY
United Kingdom Latest News, United Kingdom Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Android users warned of chilling Russian spy attack that records phone calls & takes photos without people...Prompt: https://www.thesun.co.uk/tech/30047072/android-malware-attack-clone-bank-app-card-cash-scam/ Description: 2024-08-23 12:23 UTC A new malware called NGate is targeting Android users, cloning bank cards and allowing hackers to withdraw money. Learn how to spot fake apps and protect yourself from this threat.
Read more »
Finnish Police Seize Suspected Russian 'Spy Ship' in Baltic SeaFinnish authorities have seized a Russian-linked oil tanker suspected of carrying 'spy equipment' and damaging a key undersea power cable linking Finland and Estonia. The incident has prompted NATO to increase patrols in the Gulf of Finland.
Read more »
Finnish Investigators Link Russian 'Spy Ship' to Baltic Power Cable RuptureFinnish investigators have linked a Russian-linked vessel, the Eagle S, to the rupture of the Estlink-2 power cable in the Baltic Sea. The incident, which occurred on December 25th, follows previous incidents of damage to data cables and the Nord Stream gas pipelines, raising concerns about sabotage.
Read more »
Finnish Investigators Link Russian 'Spy Ship' to Power Cable RuptureFinnish investigators believe a Russian-linked tanker, the Eagle S, intentionally severed the Estlink-2 power cable connecting Finland and Estonia by dragging its anchor across the Baltic Sea seabed. This incident follows other suspected sabotage attacks on data cables and the Nord Stream gas pipelines.
Read more »
Sergei & the Westminster Spy Ring: A New Podcast Investigates Alleged Russian Interference in British PoliticsA new podcast, Sergei & the Westminster Spy Ring, delves into allegations of Russian interference in British politics. The series focuses on a 2011 meeting between a former Conservative party fundraiser and a Russian diplomat who allegedly sought to donate money to the party, raising concerns about a possible hostile influence campaign. The podcast, written and hosted by investigative journalists Carole Cadwalladr and Peter Jukes, explores the implications of this alleged connection and its potential impact on British democracy.
Read more »
Emmerdale twist as Cain and Ruby secret is uncovered by unexpected characterRuby Fox-Miligan and Cain Dingle's betrayal in ITV soap Emmerdale was exposed by the most unexpected of characters, in unsettling scenes.
Read more »