| Telegraph.co.uk | - |
Some
delegates were fooled into using internet cafes which had been set up
by UK intelligence agencies to read their email traffic, documents seen
by the Guardian are reported to show.
GCHQ 'monitored' foreign politicians' computers at G20 London summits
Foreign politicians attending G20 meetings in London in 2009 had their phones and computers monitored by British intelligence agencies, it has been reported.
GCHQ was allegedly involved in spying on foreign officials attending two G20 summits in London in 2009. Photo: PA
Some delegates were fooled into using internet cafes which had been set up by
UK intelligence agencies to read their email traffic, documents seen by the Guardian
are reported to show.
Officials who took part in two summit meetings in London had their computers
under surveillance and phone calls intercepted on the instructions of the
British government, according to the newspaper.
The documents, uncovered by the NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden and
classified as top secret, allegedly show that during G20 meetings in April
and September 2009, GCHQ employed "ground-breaking intelligence
capabilities" to intercept the communications of visiting delegations.
Among the measures reported to have been employed by intelligence agencies at
the G20 meetings were fake internet cafes that used an email interception
programme and key-logging software to spy on delegates' use of computers.
The security of delegates’ BlackBerrys were also allegedly penetrated,
allowing GCHQ to monitor emails and phones calls.
The Turkish finance minister Mehmet Simsek, together with possibly 15 others
in his party, was said to have been targeted.
Intelligence agencies also received reports from an NSA attempt to eavesdrop on the Russian leader, Dmitry Medvedev, as his phone calls passed through satellite links to Moscow, it was reported.
A total of 45 analysts are said to have been supplied with a live round-the-clock summary of who was phoning who at the summit.
The documents allegedly suggest that the operation was sanctioned in principle at a senior level in the government of the then prime minister, Gordon Brown, and that intelligence, including briefings for visiting delegates, was passed to British ministers.
The news comes as the UK prepares to host the G8 summit on Monday, attended by all of the nations that were at the 2009 meetings which were reportedly the target of systematic spying.
The allegations could lead to tension among visiting delegates seeking answers over whether they were spied upon in the London G20 meetings, and whether they will be subjected to similar measures this week.
The G20 spying allegedly appears to have been organised for the purpose of securing an advantage in meetings, with named targets said to include long-standing allies such as South Africa and Turkey.
There have often been rumours of this kind of espionage at international conferences, but it is unusual for evidence to confirm it and give details, it was reported.
A GCHQ spokesman said: "We do not comment on security matters."
Intelligence agencies also received reports from an NSA attempt to eavesdrop on the Russian leader, Dmitry Medvedev, as his phone calls passed through satellite links to Moscow, it was reported.
A total of 45 analysts are said to have been supplied with a live round-the-clock summary of who was phoning who at the summit.
The documents allegedly suggest that the operation was sanctioned in principle at a senior level in the government of the then prime minister, Gordon Brown, and that intelligence, including briefings for visiting delegates, was passed to British ministers.
The news comes as the UK prepares to host the G8 summit on Monday, attended by all of the nations that were at the 2009 meetings which were reportedly the target of systematic spying.
The allegations could lead to tension among visiting delegates seeking answers over whether they were spied upon in the London G20 meetings, and whether they will be subjected to similar measures this week.
The G20 spying allegedly appears to have been organised for the purpose of securing an advantage in meetings, with named targets said to include long-standing allies such as South Africa and Turkey.
There have often been rumours of this kind of espionage at international conferences, but it is unusual for evidence to confirm it and give details, it was reported.
A GCHQ spokesman said: "We do not comment on security matters."
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