The US Secret Service was forced to apologise after they broke into a salon, taped over the security camera, and used the restroom. The salon owner told reporters it was during Kamala Harris' visit at the end of July. The agency members had left the door open.

“I'm the kind of person that would have set up coffee and doughnuts for them had they asked me for permission,” said Alicia Powers, the owner of Four One Three Salon in Pittsfield. But no one asked her or her landlord's permission.

The agents taped over the security camera at the back porch and helped themselves in after breaking in through the door. They used the restroom ate the mints on the counter and left the place without cleaning or locking the door.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/trump-and-harris-to-debate-on-abc-trump-calls-for-two-additional-debates-748577">Trump and Harris to debate on Sep 10; Trump calls for two additional debates</a>

Around 8 am on July 27, Powers received an alert on her phone about the activity on the back porch of the salon while she was on a vacation in Cape Cod.

“She walked around the porch, walked around the side of the building and then popped back up on the porch, grabbed the chair, hopped up and taped the camera," Powers said what the footage revealed. "It blacked out the camera completely.”

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NEW: Kamala Harris' Secret Service team forced to issue an apology after they broke into a salon in Massachusetts while Harris was at a fundraiser nearby. 
 
A female agent was seen duct-taping a camera outside the business while agents picked the lock. 
 
Once inside, the agents… <a href="https://t.co/usaFIjK9vS">pic.twitter.com/usaFIjK9vS</a>
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The alarms started going off at the property and the footage showed people entering and leaving for about two hours. She reached the salon at about 4 pm after the crowd had left.

Powers approached the Pittsfield Police and was later put in touch with the Service representative in New York. She was told, "It&nbsp;couldn't have been them; it's not what they do. They ask for permission.” But later on, the agency confirmed that the woman who taped the camera was part of the Secret Service.&nbsp;

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-secret-service-admits-denying-extra-security-to-trump-that-led-to-assassination-bid-742815">US Secret Service admits denying 'extra' security to Trump that led to assassination bid</a>

Powers said that the Secret Service’s Boston office has apologised to her. She also told Pittsfield Police officers and Chief Thomas Dawley have been helpful in her situation.

The agency has offered to pay her for the cleaning of the salon and any damages. They will also be paying for the private alarm bill of the salon “because it was going off for so long.”

While Powers is glad to receive the apology, she still feels violated and disrespected about the incident. She expressed her concern about the condition the salon was left in after the agents left.

“We're a small business. We've all worked incredibly hard to build this business," she said. "This is our livelihood. And it could have been taken from all of my 12 employees in a flash.”

(With inputs from agencies)

The US Secret Service was forced to apologise after they broke into a salon, taped over the security camera, and used the restroom. The salon owner told reporters it was during Kamala Harris' visit at the end of July.

The US Secret Service was forced to apologise after they broke into a salon, taped over the security camera, and used the restroom. The salon owner told reporters it was during Kamala Harris' visit at the end of July. The agency members had left the door open. “I'm the kind of person that would have set up coffee and doughnuts for them had they asked me for permission,” said Alicia Powers, the owner of Four One Three Salon in Pittsfield. But no one asked her or her landlord's permission. The agents taped over the security camera at the back porch and helped themselves in after breaking in through the door. They used the restroom ate the mints on the counter and left the place without cleaning or locking the door. Also read | Trump and Harris to debate on Sep 10; Trump calls for two additional debates Around 8 am on July 27, Powers received an alert on her phone about the activity on the back porch of the salon while she was on a vacation in Cape Cod. “She walked around the porch, walked around the side of the building and then popped back up on the porch, grabbed the chair, hopped up and taped the camera," Powers said what the footage revealed. "It blacked out the camera completely.” NEW: Kamala Harris' Secret Service team forced to issue an apology after they broke into a salon in Massachusetts while Harris was at a fundraiser nearby. A female agent was seen duct-taping a camera outside the business while agents picked the lock. Once inside, the agents… pic.twitter.com/usaFIjK9vS — Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) August 11, 2024 × The alarms started going off at the property and the footage showed people entering and leaving for about two hours. She reached the salon at about 4 pm after the crowd had left. Powers approached the Pittsfield Police and was later put in touch with the Service representative in New York. She was told, "It couldn't have been them; it's not what they do. They ask for permission.” But later on, the agency confirmed that the woman who taped the camera was part of the Secret Service. Also read | US Secret Service admits denying 'extra' security to Trump that led to assassination bid Powers said that the Secret Service’s Boston office has apologised to her. She also told Pittsfield Police officers and Chief Thomas Dawley have been helpful in her situation. The agency has offered to pay her for the cleaning of the salon and any damages. They will also be paying for the private alarm bill of the salon “because it was going off for so long.” While Powers is glad to receive the apology, she still feels violated and disrespected about the incident. She expressed her concern about the condition the salon was left in after the agents left. “We're a small business. We've all worked incredibly hard to build this business," she said. "This is our livelihood. And it could have been taken from all of my 12 employees in a flash.” (With inputs from agencies)

Secret Service apologizes for breaking into salon, using restroom during Kamala Harris event

As per shocking reports citing a Telegram channel, it has been claimed that Russian secret service agents are plotting to assassinate Russian President Vladimir Putin. Coming against the backdrop of the prolonged Russia-Ukraine war, the channel which reportedly has close links to the security forces, makes a startling claim that some agents from "within their own ranks" are planning to take out Putin.&nbsp;

The channel goes by the name VChK-OGPU and sheds light on what was being allegedly cooked inside the secret agents' ranks.

The channel said that things came to the fore during a meeting at karaoke club Honey, in Chekhov which is about 40 miles from the Russian capital city of Moscow. The channel quoted a source while uncovering the alleged plot.&nbsp;

Also Read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/canada-evacuates-diplomats-from-india-after-new-delhi-asks-for-staff-reduction-643197">Canada evacuates diplomats from India after New Delhi demands staff reduction</a>

This person is a 37-year-old man named Mikhail Yurchenko. He is reportedly a construction entrepreneur. The Telegram channel disclosed that Yurchenko had a lengthy conversation with a man from the club “about the war and future life in Russia”.&nbsp;

“At some point, according to Yurchenko, the interlocutor showed him a red service ID and stated that he had a task ‘to remove Vladimir Putin,’” media reports said while citing the VChK-OGPU channel.

<h2>Russia aware of the events&nbsp;</h2>

If reports are to be believed, Russia’s Ministry of Internal Affairs is already aware of the development.

Also Read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/donald-trump-disclosed-classified-information-about-us-nuclear-subs-to-australian-businessman-643145">Trump disclosed classified info about US nuclear subs to Aussie businessman</a>

The ministry was alerted by a specialist in the presidential administrative directorate and was informed of the “secret conspiracy against the head of state”.

Shocked and "haunted" after learning about the alleged planning by the Russian secret agents, Yurchenko approached the police and reported it.

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Watch |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/bangladesh-dengue-death-toll-crosses-1000-mark-643175">Bangladesh: Dengue death toll crosses 1,000-mark</a>

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However, Russian authorities are now looking into the matter to make sure if the investigations are true or just a facade.&nbsp;
</section>

The club which is cited by the channel is a place where Russian agents frequently come and meet, reports said.&nbsp;VChK-OGPU reportedly said, "The special services have been searching for several days for the unknown person who planned to 'remove' Putin. Based on his tip, operatives went to study the situation in the Honey club, where... you can often meet employees of various [secret] departments."

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As per shocking reports citing a Telegram channel, it has been claimed that Russian secret service agents are plotting to assassinate Russian President Vladimir Putin.

As per shocking reports citing a Telegram channel, it has been claimed that Russian secret service agents are plotting to assassinate Russian President Vladimir Putin. Coming against the backdrop of the prolonged Russia-Ukraine war, the channel which reportedly has close links to the security forces, makes a startling claim that some agents from "within their own ranks" are planning to take out Putin. The channel goes by the name VChK-OGPU and sheds light on what was being allegedly cooked inside the secret agents' ranks. The channel said that things came to the fore during a meeting at karaoke club Honey, in Chekhov which is about 40 miles from the Russian capital city of Moscow. The channel quoted a source while uncovering the alleged plot. Also Read | Canada evacuates diplomats from India after New Delhi demands staff reduction This person is a 37-year-old man named Mikhail Yurchenko. He is reportedly a construction entrepreneur. The Telegram channel disclosed that Yurchenko had a lengthy conversation with a man from the club “about the war and future life in Russia”. “At some point, according to Yurchenko, the interlocutor showed him a red service ID and stated that he had a task ‘to remove Vladimir Putin,’” media reports said while citing the VChK-OGPU channel. Russia aware of the events If reports are to be believed, Russia’s Ministry of Internal Affairs is already aware of the development. Also Read | Trump disclosed classified info about US nuclear subs to Aussie businessman The ministry was alerted by a specialist in the presidential administrative directorate and was informed of the “secret conspiracy against the head of state”. Shocked and "haunted" after learning about the alleged planning by the Russian secret agents, Yurchenko approached the police and reported it. Watch | Bangladesh: Dengue death toll crosses 1,000-mark × However, Russian authorities are now looking into the matter to make sure if the investigations are true or just a facade. The club which is cited by the channel is a place where Russian agents frequently come and meet, reports said. VChK-OGPU reportedly said, "The special services have been searching for several days for the unknown person who planned to 'remove' Putin. Based on his tip, operatives went to study the situation in the Honey club, where... you can often meet employees of various [secret] departments." WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here. ×

Russian secret agents investigate plot to assassinate Putin from 'within own ranks'

A finance ministry employee has been arrested in the northern Indian city of Ghaziabad for allegedly supplying secret and classified documents to Pakistan.&nbsp;The accused sent data, including that related to the G20 Summit, to a mobile number suspected to be from Pakistan, according to the authorities.&nbsp;

The accused has been identified as 27-year-old Naveen Pal, a resident of&nbsp;Bhim Nagar in Ghaziabad. He was a&nbsp;contractual Multi Tasking Staff (MTS) with the Ministry of Finance, Government of India.&nbsp;

Pal was arrested on Monday around 7 pm after the authorities received a tip-off. He has been charged under the&nbsp;Official Secrets Act and the IT Act.

“The accused is a contract worker in the Union Ministry of Finance who is working as a multi-tasking staff. Suspicious messages were sent from his mobile number to another mobile number…he shared confidential documents with this number and in return received money online," Ghaziabad DCP Shubham Patel was quoted as saying by ANI.

“We had received information that Pal was sharing classified documents with someone. We took him into custody and interrogated him. We verified through his phone that he had shared some documents with an unknown source after taking money,” Patel added.&nbsp;

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/honey-trapped-drdo-scientist-kurulkar-shared-details-about-indian-missile-systems-613400">ALSO READ | Honey-trapped DRDO scientist shared details about Indian missile systems with Pakistani agent</a>

<h2>Pal's rate for selling confidential data&nbsp;</h2>

During the investigation, the police found a mobile number saved as&nbsp;"Anjali of Kolkata" in Pal's phone which is suspected to be a Pakistan number. Additionally, a 61-page official document has also been seized, while his bank transactions have been verified.&nbsp;He transferred the secret information in lieu of money and took anywhere between&nbsp;Rs 8,000 ($97) to Rs 10,00 ($121) per document, the police informed.

The police are of the view that Pal may have leaked sensitive information to the "woman" on his phone and endangered national security as well as harmed India's relationship with other countries.&nbsp;

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/gravitas-pakistan-hits-indian-army-with-cyber-attacks-608990">WATCH |&nbsp;Gravitas: Pakistan hits Indian army with cyber attacks</a>

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India received the G20 presidency last year and is scheduled to host the breakthrough summit later this year. The government has been hosting G20 sideline events throughout the year and Pal could have compromised the events.&nbsp;

The news of Ghaziabad police nabbing Pal comes days after&nbsp;Maharashtra’s anti-terrorism squad (ATS) filed a chargesheet against Pune city-based Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) scientist, Pradeep Kurulkar, who was also lured by a Pakistani agent into divulging top-secret, confidential data.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)

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A finance ministry employee has been arrested in the northern Indian city of Ghaziabad for allegedly supplying secret and classified documents to Pakistan. The accused sent data, including that related to the G20 Summit, to a mobile number suspected to be from Pakistan, according to the authorities.

A finance ministry employee has been arrested in the northern Indian city of Ghaziabad for allegedly supplying secret and classified documents to Pakistan. The accused sent data, including that related to the G20 Summit, to a mobile number suspected to be from Pakistan, according to the authorities. The accused has been identified as 27-year-old Naveen Pal, a resident of Bhim Nagar in Ghaziabad. He was a contractual Multi Tasking Staff (MTS) with the Ministry of Finance, Government of India. Pal was arrested on Monday around 7 pm after the authorities received a tip-off. He has been charged under the Official Secrets Act and the IT Act. “The accused is a contract worker in the Union Ministry of Finance who is working as a multi-tasking staff. Suspicious messages were sent from his mobile number to another mobile number…he shared confidential documents with this number and in return received money online," Ghaziabad DCP Shubham Patel was quoted as saying by ANI. “We had received information that Pal was sharing classified documents with someone. We took him into custody and interrogated him. We verified through his phone that he had shared some documents with an unknown source after taking money,” Patel added. ALSO READ | Honey-trapped DRDO scientist shared details about Indian missile systems with Pakistani agent Pal's rate for selling confidential data During the investigation, the police found a mobile number saved as "Anjali of Kolkata" in Pal's phone which is suspected to be a Pakistan number. Additionally, a 61-page official document has also been seized, while his bank transactions have been verified. He transferred the secret information in lieu of money and took anywhere between Rs 8,000 ($97) to Rs 10,00 ($121) per document, the police informed. The police are of the view that Pal may have leaked sensitive information to the "woman" on his phone and endangered national security as well as harmed India's relationship with other countries. WATCH | Gravitas: Pakistan hits Indian army with cyber attacks × India received the G20 presidency last year and is scheduled to host the breakthrough summit later this year. The government has been hosting G20 sideline events throughout the year and Pal could have compromised the events. The news of Ghaziabad police nabbing Pal comes days after Maharashtra’s anti-terrorism squad (ATS) filed a chargesheet against Pune city-based Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) scientist, Pradeep Kurulkar, who was also lured by a Pakistani agent into divulging top-secret, confidential data. (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE:

India: Finance ministry employee leaks secret, classified info to Pakistan number, held

Top American counterintelligence officials warned every CIA station and base around the world last week about troubling numbers of informants recruited from other countries to spy for the United States being captured or killed, people familiar with the matter said.

The message, in an unusual top-secret cable, said that the CIA’s counterintelligence mission centre had looked at dozens of cases in the last several years involving foreign informants who had been killed, arrested or most likely compromised. Although brief, the cable laid out the specific number of agents executed by rival intelligence agencies — a closely held detail that counterintelligence officials typically do not share in such cables.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/havana-syndrome-cases-may-be-linked-to-crickets-claims-report-418143">Havana syndrome cases may be linked to crickets, claims report</a>

The cable highlighted the struggle the spy agency is having as it works to recruit spies around the world in difficult operating environments. In recent years, adversarial intelligence services in countries such as Russia, China, Iran and Pakistan have been hunting down the CIA’s sources and in some cases turning them into double agents.

Acknowledging that recruiting spies is a high-risk business, the cable raised issues that have plagued the agency in recent years, including poor tradecraft, being too trusting of sources, underestimating foreign intelligence agencies and moving too quickly to recruit informants while not paying enough attention to potential counterintelligence risks — a problem the cable called placing “mission over security.”

The large number of compromised informants in recent years also demonstrated the growing prowess of other countries in employing innovations like biometric scans, facial recognition, artificial intelligence and hacking tools to track the movements of CIA officers in order to discover their sources.

While the CIA has many ways to collect intelligence for its analysts to craft into briefings for policymakers, networks of trusted human informants around the world remain the centerpiece of its efforts, the kind of intelligence that the agency is supposed to be the best in the world at collecting and analyzing.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/new-report-claims-cia-planned-gun-battle-abduction-to-snatch-assange-416285">New report claims CIA planned gun battle &amp; abduction to snatch Assange</a>

Recruiting new informants, former officials said, is how the CIA’s case officers — its front-line spies — earn promotions. Case officers are not typically promoted for running good counterintelligence operations, such as figuring out if an informant is really working for another country.

The agency has devoted much of its attention for the last two decades to terrorist threats and the conflicts in Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria, but improving intelligence collection on adversarial powers both great and small is once again a centerpiece of the CIA’s agenda, particularly as policymakers demand more insight into China and Russia.

The loss of informants, former officials said, is not a new problem. But the cable demonstrated the issue is more urgent than is publicly understood.

The warning, according to those who have read it, was primarily aimed at front-line agency officers, the people involved most directly in the recruiting and vetting of sources. The cable reminded CIA case officers to focus not just on recruiting sources but also on security issues including vetting informants and evading adversarial intelligence services.

Among the reasons for the cable, according to people familiar with the document, was to prod CIA case officers to think about steps they can take on their own do a better job managing informants.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/us-spy-plane-crash-in-afghanistan-277115">Now, Iran media claims CIA chief behind Soleimani’s assassination killed in Afghanistan plane crash</a>

Former officials said that there has to be more focus on security and counterintelligence, among both senior leaders and front-line personnel, especially when it comes to recruiting informants, which CIA officers call agents.

“No one at the end of the day is being held responsible when things go south with an agent,” said Douglas London, a former agency operative. “Sometimes there are things beyond our control, but there are also occasions of sloppiness and neglect, and people in senior positions are never held responsible.”

London said he was unaware of the cable. But his new book, “The Recruiter: Spying and the Lost Art of American Intelligence,” argues that the CIA’s shift toward covert action and paramilitary operations undermined traditional espionage that relies on securely recruiting and handling agents.

Sheetal T. Patel, who last year became the CIA’s assistant director for counterintelligence and leads that mission centre, has not been reluctant to send out broad warnings to the CIA community of current and former officers.

In January, Patel sent a letter to retired CIA officers warning against working for foreign governments who are trying to build up spying capabilities by hiring retired intelligence officials. (The letter, promptly leaked, also included warnings about talking to journalists.)

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/cia-vienna-station-chief-removed-amid-havana-syndrome-criticism-report-415559">CIA Vienna station chief removed amid 'Havana syndrome' criticism: Report</a>

Former officials say the broadsides are a way of pushing CIA officers to become more serious about counterintelligence.

The memo sent last week suggested that the agency underestimated its adversaries — the belief that its officers and tradecraft were better than other intelligence services. But the results of the study showed that countries being targeted by the US&nbsp;are also skilled at hunting down informants.

Some former officials believe that the agency’s skills at thwarting adversarial intelligence services have grown rusty after decades of focusing on terrorism threats and relying on risky covert communications. Developing, training and directing informants spying on foreign governments differs in some ways from developing sources inside terrorist networks.

While the memo identified specific numbers of informants that were arrested or killed, it said the number turned against the United States was not fully known. Sometimes, informants who are discovered by adversarial intelligence services are not arrested but instead are turned into double agents who feed disinformation to the CIA, which can have devastating effects on intelligence collection and analysis. Pakistanis have been particularly effective in this sphere, former officials said.

The collapse of the US-backed government in Afghanistan means that learning more about Pakistan’s ties to the Taliban government and extremist organizations in the region is going to become ever more important. As a result, the pressure is once again on the CIA to build and maintain networks of informants in Pakistan, a country with a record of discovering and breaking those networks.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/cia-says-al-qaeda-is-regrouping-post-taliban-takeover-in-afghanistan-report-413469">CIA says Al Qaeda is regrouping post Taliban takeover in Afghanistan: Report</a>

Similarly, the focus by successive administrations on great power competition and the challenges of China and Russia has meant that building up spy networks and protecting those sources are more important than ever.

In those countries, technology has also become a problem, former officials said. Artificial intelligence, biometric scans, facial recognition and other technology has made it far easier for governments to track American intelligence officers operating in their country. That has made meeting and communicating with sources far more difficult.

A breach of the classified communications system, or “covcom,” used by the CIA helped to expose the agency’s networks in China and in Iran, according to former officials. In both cases, informants were executed. Others had to be extracted and resettled by the agency.

In Iran and China, some intelligence officials believe that Americans provided information to the adversarial agencies that could have helped expose informants. Monica Elfriede Witt, a former Air Force sergeant who defected to Iran, was indicted on a charge of providing information to Iran in 2019. The Iranians leveraged her knowledge only after determining she could be trusted. Later that year, Jerry Chun Shing Lee, a former CIA officer, was sentenced to 19 years in prison for providing secrets to the Chinese government.

Watch |&nbsp;Early signs of Al-Qaeda regrouping in Afghanistan, notes CIA

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/early-signs-of-al-qaeda-regrouping-in-afghanistan-notes-cia-413465/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

Former officials say there is no shortage of examples of where the agency has been so focused on the mission that security measures were not given proper consideration. And in some cases, a turned agent can have deadly consequences.

The 2009 bombing at a CIA base in Khost, Afghanistan, that killed seven agency employees was a good example of mission over security, London said. In that suicide attack, a Jordanian doctor the CIA thought it had persuaded to penetrate al-Qaida had in fact been turned against the United States.

“We were in such a rush to make such a big score,” London said. “Those were tradecraft mistakes.”

He added it is important to remind the CIA’s workforce of the damage that can happen when tradecraft lapses.

“Do your job and don’t be lazy,” he said. “It’s a willingness to say we are not as perfect as we think we are. That’s a positive thing.”

Top American counterintelligence officials warned every CIA station and base around the world last week about troubling numbers of informants recruited from other countries to spy for the United States being captured or killed, people familiar with the matter said.

Top American counterintelligence officials warned every CIA station and base around the world last week about troubling numbers of informants recruited from other countries to spy for the United States being captured or killed, people familiar with the matter said. The message, in an unusual top-secret cable, said that the CIA’s counterintelligence mission centre had looked at dozens of cases in the last several years involving foreign informants who had been killed, arrested or most likely compromised. Although brief, the cable laid out the specific number of agents executed by rival intelligence agencies — a closely held detail that counterintelligence officials typically do not share in such cables. Also read | Havana syndrome cases may be linked to crickets, claims report The cable highlighted the struggle the spy agency is having as it works to recruit spies around the world in difficult operating environments. In recent years, adversarial intelligence services in countries such as Russia, China, Iran and Pakistan have been hunting down the CIA’s sources and in some cases turning them into double agents. Acknowledging that recruiting spies is a high-risk business, the cable raised issues that have plagued the agency in recent years, including poor tradecraft, being too trusting of sources, underestimating foreign intelligence agencies and moving too quickly to recruit informants while not paying enough attention to potential counterintelligence risks — a problem the cable called placing “mission over security.” The large number of compromised informants in recent years also demonstrated the growing prowess of other countries in employing innovations like biometric scans, facial recognition, artificial intelligence and hacking tools to track the movements of CIA officers in order to discover their sources. While the CIA has many ways to collect intelligence for its analysts to craft into briefings for policymakers, networks of trusted human informants around the world remain the centerpiece of its efforts, the kind of intelligence that the agency is supposed to be the best in the world at collecting and analyzing. Also read | New report claims CIA planned gun battle & abduction to snatch Assange Recruiting new informants, former officials said, is how the CIA’s case officers — its front-line spies — earn promotions. Case officers are not typically promoted for running good counterintelligence operations, such as figuring out if an informant is really working for another country. The agency has devoted much of its attention for the last two decades to terrorist threats and the conflicts in Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria, but improving intelligence collection on adversarial powers both great and small is once again a centerpiece of the CIA’s agenda, particularly as policymakers demand more insight into China and Russia. The loss of informants, former officials said, is not a new problem. But the cable demonstrated the issue is more urgent than is publicly understood. The warning, according to those who have read it, was primarily aimed at front-line agency officers, the people involved most directly in the recruiting and vetting of sources. The cable reminded CIA case officers to focus not just on recruiting sources but also on security issues including vetting informants and evading adversarial intelligence services. Among the reasons for the cable, according to people familiar with the document, was to prod CIA case officers to think about steps they can take on their own do a better job managing informants. Also read | Now, Iran media claims CIA chief behind Soleimani’s assassination killed in Afghanistan plane crash Former officials said that there has to be more focus on security and counterintelligence, among both senior leaders and front-line personnel, especially when it comes to recruiting informants, which CIA officers call agents. “No one at the end of the day is being held responsible when things go south with an agent,” said Douglas London, a former agency operative. “Sometimes there are things beyond our control, but there are also occasions of sloppiness and neglect, and people in senior positions are never held responsible.” London said he was unaware of the cable. But his new book, “The Recruiter: Spying and the Lost Art of American Intelligence,” argues that the CIA’s shift toward covert action and paramilitary operations undermined traditional espionage that relies on securely recruiting and handling agents. Sheetal T. Patel, who last year became the CIA’s assistant director for counterintelligence and leads that mission centre, has not been reluctant to send out broad warnings to the CIA community of current and former officers. In January, Patel sent a letter to retired CIA officers warning against working for foreign governments who are trying to build up spying capabilities by hiring retired intelligence officials. (The letter, promptly leaked, also included warnings about talking to journalists.) Also read | CIA Vienna station chief removed amid 'Havana syndrome' criticism: Report Former officials say the broadsides are a way of pushing CIA officers to become more serious about counterintelligence. The memo sent last week suggested that the agency underestimated its adversaries — the belief that its officers and tradecraft were better than other intelligence services. But the results of the study showed that countries being targeted by the US are also skilled at hunting down informants. Some former officials believe that the agency’s skills at thwarting adversarial intelligence services have grown rusty after decades of focusing on terrorism threats and relying on risky covert communications. Developing, training and directing informants spying on foreign governments differs in some ways from developing sources inside terrorist networks. While the memo identified specific numbers of informants that were arrested or killed, it said the number turned against the United States was not fully known. Sometimes, informants who are discovered by adversarial intelligence services are not arrested but instead are turned into double agents who feed disinformation to the CIA, which can have devastating effects on intelligence collection and analysis. Pakistanis have been particularly effective in this sphere, former officials said. The collapse of the US-backed government in Afghanistan means that learning more about Pakistan’s ties to the Taliban government and extremist organizations in the region is going to become ever more important. As a result, the pressure is once again on the CIA to build and maintain networks of informants in Pakistan, a country with a record of discovering and breaking those networks. Also read | CIA says Al Qaeda is regrouping post Taliban takeover in Afghanistan: Report Similarly, the focus by successive administrations on great power competition and the challenges of China and Russia has meant that building up spy networks and protecting those sources are more important than ever. In those countries, technology has also become a problem, former officials said. Artificial intelligence, biometric scans, facial recognition and other technology has made it far easier for governments to track American intelligence officers operating in their country. That has made meeting and communicating with sources far more difficult. A breach of the classified communications system, or “covcom,” used by the CIA helped to expose the agency’s networks in China and in Iran, according to former officials. In both cases, informants were executed. Others had to be extracted and resettled by the agency. In Iran and China, some intelligence officials believe that Americans provided information to the adversarial agencies that could have helped expose informants. Monica Elfriede Witt, a former Air Force sergeant who defected to Iran, was indicted on a charge of providing information to Iran in 2019. The Iranians leveraged her knowledge only after determining she could be trusted. Later that year, Jerry Chun Shing Lee, a former CIA officer, was sentenced to 19 years in prison for providing secrets to the Chinese government. Watch | Early signs of Al-Qaeda regrouping in Afghanistan, notes CIA Former officials say there is no shortage of examples of where the agency has been so focused on the mission that security measures were not given proper consideration. And in some cases, a turned agent can have deadly consequences. The 2009 bombing at a CIA base in Khost, Afghanistan, that killed seven agency employees was a good example of mission over security, London said. In that suicide attack, a Jordanian doctor the CIA thought it had persuaded to penetrate al-Qaida had in fact been turned against the United States. “We were in such a rush to make such a big score,” London said. “Those were tradecraft mistakes.” He added it is important to remind the CIA’s workforce of the damage that can happen when tradecraft lapses. “Do your job and don’t be lazy,” he said. “It’s a willingness to say we are not as perfect as we think we are. That’s a positive thing.”

Captured, killed or compromised: CIA admits to losing dozens of informants

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