British Intelligence Officer Suspended Over Security Breach

British Intelligence Officer Suspended Over Security Breach

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A senior intelligence official has been suspended following discovery that confidential documents related to Iraq and the activities of al-Qaida were left on a passenger train. The documents were were later handed over to the British Broadcasting Corporation. Tendai Maphosa has more in this report from London.

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Is this just plain old garden variety stupidity or did he know what he was doing?

The identity of the Cabinet Office official has not been made public. On Wednesday, the BBC announced that it was in possession of the documents that were compiled by the government's Joint Intelligence Committee.
BBC Security correspondent Frank Gardner said one of the documents, commissioned by the Ministry of Defense concerned Iraq's security forces. He added that it included a top-secret and in some places "damning" assessment of Iraqi forces.

To me this is the kind of thing you just don’t carry loose OR take on a train?!? Is this common practice?

Another document, commissioned by the Foreign Office and the Home Office is reportedly entitled 'Al-Qaida Vulnerabilities'. Gardner said the seven-page document, classified as "U.K. Top Secret", is marked "for U.K./U.S./Canadian and Australian eyes only".

If you found this would you immediately hand it in if you were not a UK, US Canadian or Australian citizen?

The issue also came up in parliament, where Cabinet Office Minister Ed Miliband, was sharply questioned over the incident. He said the official who left the documents on the train clearly violated the rules by removing them from the government offices.

Clearly violated the rules. Naughty boy! Come on all he got was a suspension? If it was a US officer it would be off to G. Bay no questions.


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[edit on 12/6/2008 by VIKINGANT]

He insisted national security interests did not appear to have been damaged or operations and individuals put at risk.

What the hell then then does top secret mean?

The second document was a "top secret and in some cases damning" assessment of Iraq's security forces, according to a journalist who read it.

The loss came to light after the files were found by a member of the public in an orange cardboard envelope on a train from London Waterloo to Surrey.

The up side is that the file has been found. And if a journo has read it and not published anthing from it it would have to be pretty darned sensitive.

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