UK nationals stopped by Iranian navy

I do hope those claiming outlandish stories are going to admit that they were not spies now that they've been released quickly and without charge!!
They did send a distress call, maybe this is how the Iranian rev' guard found them and then detained then, instead of offering assistance!!

They should be back in Dubai by 3.00pm British time.
Lets hope the Iranian rev' guard are a little more restrained in the future.

[edit on 2-12-2009 by Kurokage]

Well duh... they released these spies huh?

What were Iran thinking...





Spies

Oh dear someone has been proven wrong. Wonder if the one whom called them spies has the bottle to apologise. Ops guess not. So the guys were not spies after all.. Someones bubble has been truly burst.!!!!

Five British yachtsmen held by Iran's Revolutionary Guard for a week have been released, the UK has confirmed.

The crew are said to have drifted into Iranian waters mistakenly while sailing from Bahrain to Dubai for a race.

A statement by the Revolutionary Guard said interrogations had revealed their "illegal entry" had been "a mistake". Relatives have told of their relief.

BBC News

[edit on 2-12-2009 by Laurauk]

reply to post by ProtoplasmicTraveler


Still say they were spies?

Do you really think Iran would release these guys if they had any evidence that they were not simply yachtsmen who strayed inadvertently into Iranian waters?

case closed.

Originally posted by Argyll
reply to post by ProtoplasmicTraveler

 

Still say they were spies?

Do you really think Iran would release these guys if they had any evidence that they were not simply yachtsmen who strayed inadvertently into Iranian waters?

case closed.

Good PR for the Iranians, no doubt they have turned the boat inside out, found nothing and are returning them to point of origin, seems the logical thing to do.

Wow I wonder what Iranian spies are being exchanged behind the scenes for these English spies!

Spy exchanges are usually carried out quickly and quietly they do represent a huge investment in funding and training.

Hopefully these young British spies will learn their craft better with age so they don't suffer this kind of embarassment again!

reply to post by ProtoplasmicTraveler


Laughing out Loud, you cannot even bring yourself to admit you are wrong.

At Least the truth has come out, there was no conspiracy, some members were proven wrong! Theres ironey for you

At least they are free to return home now. Big relieve for thier families.

reply to post by Laurauk


As I pointed out yesterday on the thread in this post here
Here

Now chances are the sailboat was not the primary spying vessel but designed to draw off Iranian vessels in that area while a mini-sub or go fast boat went in to do the heavy work.

The sailboat was in fact designed to draw off the Iranian vessels in the area so the real spying effort could proceed unmollested.

I went on to say...

The Iranians are probably figuring that out long about now, after waterboarding the kids and pulling out their fingernails and making them listen to Barry Manilow Records, and forcing them to eat Cous Cous anyone would talk.

The 61 year old Spy on the vessel was the only real spy on the sailboat he was the one responsible for sabotaging the ship's propeller to give them a semi-plauisble story for being in those waters.

The kids may or may not have been told by him that they were playing a game of cat and mouse that there was little real chance real harm would befall them.

While it was hard for the Iranians to believe that they drifted 150 miles off course (as it would be for anyone who sails) they wouldn't be able to prove the ship itself was spying and the kids wouldn't have likely had any idea of the true nature of the mission.

While they were diverting the Iranian's attention the real spies were likely going in, but more likely coming out in a go fast boat or mini-submarine that the sailboat's drawing off Iranian forces gave them a safe lane of passage in.

This is how it's actually done, and the reality is I pointed this out before they were released and that the Iranians would likely figure it all too in time.

What can I say? My brilliance at times is simply as overwhelming as it is prophetic!

ok, this is one huge load of you know. if they were really spies what were they gonna "spy" on from there racing yacht? now lets be honest here, i dont think anybodys ever done any "spying" from a sailboat... after all a sailboat is certainly not the mos discreet form of maritime transport. some folks will believe anything

Originally posted by 93dx757
ok, this is one huge load of you know. if they were really spies what were they gonna "spy" on from there racing yacht? now lets be honest here, i dont think anybodys ever done any "spying" from a sailboat... after all a sailboat is certainly not the mos discreet form of maritime transport. some folks will believe anything

Really when do you think spy craft was invented sometime after the Cunnard Line Christened the Queen Elizabeth II?

Sail boats were the primary mode of tansportation up until the American Civil War when Iron Clad's began to appear.

That was barely 150 years ago.

It is truly amazing the extent denial takes on!

Originally posted by 93dx757
ok, this is one huge load of you know. if they were really spies what were they gonna "spy" on from there racing yacht? now lets be honest here, i dont think anybodys ever done any "spying" from a sailboat... after all a sailboat is certainly not the mos discreet form of maritime transport. some folks will believe anything

If you have thought about it, then we have done it. Here is an excellent photo snap of two international alpha groups. Can you guess who is who here ?

[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/files/d29b4430fe76f72e.jpg[/atsimg]
media.abovetopsecret.com...
A quick helper, secret service is wearing the white shirt the others are italian counter terrorist unit. No names just faces,


As for the recent posters so eager to burn the witches at the town square, i would recommend to hold onto your hats as its still very early. Concession were made on both sides and the U.S. have played a very helpful role in negotiations. Similar to what happened in 07 with the 15 sailors. Do people seriously have such a short term memory.

Just allow the hype to die down before anything goes public, i am sure this thread has not seen the last of this so called "mistake"

reply to post by ProtoplasmicTraveler


[*SNIP*]

As another poster said, do the simple research, they're kids, simple as that!

If we wanted to send spies into Iran to find something out, it would be some sort of covert operation involving SAS over the border (via land) maybe at night.

Not kids on a sailing boat that stand out a mile in the shorts with big sailing masts.



Mod Note: Courtesy is Mandatory – Please Review Link.

[edit on 12/2/2009 by AshleyD]

www.telegraph.co.uk...

Read this, they're innocent!!

To the posters who are jumping on the "I TOLD YOU SO, THEY WERE NOT SPIES" bandwagon...

It does'nt matter a hill of beans if you made a correct call this time around. You all know America would hide a Hubble Telescope in the Arse of migrating whales to get info on Iran.

Only thing proved... is that America did not get caught red handed with it's spying pants down this time..

Remember the faked attack that started Vietnam?? How soon the foolish forget...

So those who think it was a legitimate OP, in line with America's underhanded conspiracy tactics we all read on this site everyday... Keep on!



[edit on 2-12-2009 by Level X]

reply to post by ProtoplasmicTraveler


You're accusing Britain of spying. Not some third world country that scoops up other countries' leftovers.

Do you really think, given the tension between Iran and the rest of the world, Britain would use a method outdated by more than 150 years?

Originally posted by minkey53
reply to post by ProtoplasmicTraveler

 

[*SNIP*]

As another poster said, do the simple research, they're kids, simple as that!

If we wanted to send spies into Iran to find something out, it would be some sort of covert operation involving SAS over the border (via land) maybe at night.

Not kids on a sailing boat that stand out a mile in the shorts with big sailing masts.

 

Mod Note: Courtesy is Mandatory – Please Review Link.

[edit on 12/2/2009 by AshleyD]

Hi there fellow ats poster,

I would rather you read just a simple quote below and begin to understand the mechanics of recruiting. This formula is an adaptation to what other u.s. units have been doing for some time now. I still do not understand why this information would shock you so much.

Government intelligence organisation GCHQ is to run an ad campaign within Xbox Live, to attract quick-thinking 18- to 34-year-olds to its ranks.

The campaign marks the first time that GCHQ, which reports to the foreign secretary, David Miliband, and works with MI5 and MI6, has run ads through Microsoft's internet-connected Xbox Live platform, which connects gamers all over the world.

GCHQ's recruitment campaign will run on the Xbox Live platform, home to games including Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, Left 4 Dead 2 and Assassin's Creed II.

Do you now see the correlation between high profiled games and award winning games voted throughout all gaming sites as number 1 games. Do you see how which ever game has been used for recruitment purposes is in the top 5 games across the gaming scene on a global scale. I guess about now you are thinking its impossible and its purely coincidental....I think not, its they are ranked as the best games for a particular purpose. Its what makes things go bump in the night.

www.guardian.co.uk...


P.S.

Just out of curiosity, why on earth would you call someone a muppet and how is that defined in a simple english translation, i myself enjoyed the muppet show especially the two old guys who would reside on the balcony questioning anything going on below.

Territorial waters are just that.

During the NI troubles, british navy vessels often stopped Irish vessels, and held their crews whilst they conducted "enquiries"

Fishing vessels mostly, because that was one of the ways of smuggling explosives into the UK.

People who buy into this MSM crap are ignoring the fact that all countries who have any kind of suspicion of a vessel will take action against it.

IMO the iranians were fairly restrained - after all, they announced they had taken the crew prisoner.
Which is more than the UK did when dealing with various sectarian "terrorist" groups.

Regarding that - it's funny how the pro UK groups had no trouble getting arms past the british navy.

Swings and roundabouts.

Originally posted by lpowell0627
reply to post by ProtoplasmicTraveler

 

You're accusing Britain of spying. Not some third world country that scoops up other countries' leftovers.

Do you really think, given the tension between Iran and the rest of the world, Britain would use a method outdated by more than 150 years?

Actually I posted what I think to the thread. The UK used the sail boat as a ruse as part of a coordinated effort in a spy venture. The sail boat was used to draw off Iranian forces in the area to create a distraction while either a go fast boat or mini-sub made a run for it through the open lane created by drawing off the forces.

As another poster to the thread cited the anti-aircraft capabilities of the nearby island based oil terminal are in question and better intelligence needed gathered to that end.

There obviously are some people who read the threads here on ATS looking to learn and share and there are obviously some people here on ATS looking to promote Government and Mainstream News Media Views without ever reading or considering the many different elements that many different posters add that are left out of the Mainstream News Media and Government propaganda.

Should that process of more critical minds coming together offend you I suggest you write your representatives telling them you despise a free Internet!

Of course you may have notice from the banner borders ATS very much wishes there to be a free Internet.

Originally posted by tristar
Just out of curiosity, why on earth would you call someone a muppet and how is that defined in a simple english translation, i myself enjoyed the muppet show especially the two old guys who would reside on the balcony questioning anything going on below.

Haha good question.

Muppet in England is slightly derogatory in a sense that you may be calling them a berk or a divvy. It's basically cockney, but pronounced 'Mappet',

All these incidents, incursions, are military reconnaissance meant to function as probes...to check how closely the Iranians guard and respond (if at all) to intruders on their borders. The probes are not in military outfits of course so as to not raise a serious stink, but its the same function...advanced recon. They are probing their limits and response times of the Iranians. Looking for weaknesses.

[edit on 7-12-2009 by Unplugged]