Belarus allegedly busts US spy ring
The Russian news agency Interfax-Zapad cited the Belarusian television as saying that "under the disguise of the fight against terrorism, the US embassy in Minsk organized a spy ring from the ranks of Belarusian citizens”. The group's taks was to "gather and transfer to the American side at the order of the FBI the date to be used for causing losses to Belarus”.
According to the web site of Vzglyad newspaper, the group comprised 10 people and their operation was overseen by a FBI career officer who served as a diplomat at the embassy. The group was allegedly equipped with a special devices, including cameras, binoculars, video cams and telephones. In the Belarusian capital, they "spotted anything that could be of interest to US security services”.
The Belarusian state television maintained that the ring members were banned from visiting the embassy and contacting with the embassy staff. They had secret meetings with their officer in charge at a private apartment, 500 meters off the US embassy. The Belarus security services detained almost all the members of the group during a raid on March 13.
The news agency Interfax Zapad noted that the American embassy issued no official comments regarding this scandal.
In 2007, Belarus busted a Polish military intelligence spy ring, comprising 5 former Belarus army officers. All of them were convicted and received lengthy prison terms.
Photo: photo.bymedia.net
