cia

White House Didn't Ask New York Times Not to Publish Classified Information

John Cook · 06/01/12 03:47PM

When the New York Times published a detailed story by chief Washington correspondent David Sanger today confirming the U.S. as the co-author of the Stuxnet virus and outlining Barack Obama's role in directing a highly classified digital monkeywrenching program against Iranian nuclear facilities, many observers noted that the story couldn't have been written without White House support. Which is odd, considering how much energy the White House has been putting into prosecuting leaks it doesn't like.

Iran Arrests 12 CIA Agents As Beirut Pizza Hut Sits Empty

Lauri Apple · 11/24/11 10:45AM

Earlier this week we learned that Iran and its pal Hezbollah had caught dozens of CIA spies who always met at a super-secret Pizza Hut in Beirut (using the super-secret code word "PIZZA" to communicate meeting times). Now an Iranian parliamentary leader says that 12 of the spies have been arrested and jailed in cells where they're fed nothing but bread sticks and water.

Iran and Hezbollah Caught All the CIA Spies at Pizza Hut

John Cook · 11/21/11 01:28PM

The CIA has basically lost its network of spies in Lebanon and suffered a major setback in its efforts to infiltrate Iran, all because it screwed up basic tradecraft—including communicating with spies on trackable cell phones and using the indecipherable code word "PIZZA" to denote planned meetings at a Beirut Pizza Hut.

CIA Won't Give Ex-Agent a Copy of the Book He Wrote Because It's Classified

John Cook · 11/16/11 01:55PM

Former military intelligence officer Anthony Shaffer is suing the Pentagon and the CIA over their extraordinary attempts to censor Operation Dark Heart, the book he wrote recounting his days as a military spy in Afghanistan and elsewhere. One problem he's run into: The government has the original unredacted manuscript he wrote. And it won't give him a copy. Because it's classified.

The CIA Monitors Twitter, World's Most Accurate News Source

Adrian Chen · 11/04/11 09:56AM

The CIA spends all day on Twitter and Facebook, just like you. And they're using them to keep the president and government officials informed of world events. What does the #4wordsbeforesex trending topic mean for the American People?

What Impact Will Anwar Al-Awlaki's Death Have In The West?

TPM · 10/01/11 09:30AM

The death of Anwar al-Awlaki, an American-born cleric linked to al Qaeda's operations in Yemen, is likely to impact American Arabs and Muslims in positive fashion, according to Dr. Hussein Ibish, former communications director for the Arab-American Anti-Discrimination Commitee.

Chief of CIA's 'Global Jihad Unit' Revealed Online

John Cook · 09/22/11 02:28PM

The CIA is having trouble keeping its secret agents off the internet. First, it allowed the White House to publish a photograph of the man behind the operation to kill Osama bin Laden. And now the identity of the woman who runs its "Global Jihad Unit"—and who has a long (if pseudonymous) history of being associated with some of the agency's most disastrous boondoggles—has been published online by two documentary filmmakers who sussed it out with the help of some "savvy internet research."

Surprise! CIA Had 'Close Ties' to Libyan Intelligence

Max Read · 09/03/11 03:11PM

The best part of toppling a dictator, besides freedom, is getting to rifle through the papers of the intelligence bureaucracy. Who knows what you'll find! Like, say, a big binder that says "C.I.A." and two others that say "M.I.-6"!

How the NYPD Turned Itself Into a Little CIA

John Cook · 08/24/11 01:46PM

The AP's Matt Apuzzo and Adam Goldman broke an extraordinary story today about the NYPD's unfettered and probably illegal intelligence operation—which employs "rakers" and "mosque crawlers" to troll Arab neighborhoods for information even when no crime is suspected—and its tight integration with the CIA, which has covert operatives deployed within the department. Basically, if you're a Muslim in New York, you either work for the NYPD or are being watched by them.

Feds Hunt for Anonymous Hackers Who Crashed Toilet Paper Website

Adrian Chen · 07/26/11 05:29PM

The evil, teaparty-funding Koch Brothers do not appreciate their websites being bombarded by hackers. The FBI is targeting people possibly connected to a February Anonymous attack on Koch Industries websites, including a brutal assault on their powerful bathroom tissue manufacturing arm.

CIA: Hack Wasn't Really a Big Deal

Adrian Chen · 06/16/11 03:55PM

According to a CIA spokeswoman, the Lulz Security hack attack that took down the CIA's public website for several hours yesterday was no big deal. But... what about cyberwar!