Mike Burgess, director-general of Australia's security services, said the spy ring groomed and recruited the former politician. Photo: AUSTRALIAN ASSOCIATED PRESS/ALAMY STOCK PHOTO
The Australian government faced angry demands on Thursday to name the «traitor» former politician accused by Canberra's top spy of «selling out» the country to a foreign power.
In this extraordinary public revelation, Mike Burgess, the director general of Australia's security services, said that a spy ring from an unidentified country had groomed and recruited a former Australian politician.
“This politician sold out his country, party and former colleagues to advance interests of a foreign regime,” the spy chief said in a speech in Canberra on Wednesday.
Australia is a member of the Five Eyes intelligence agency. The Information Sharing Group, which includes the US, UK, Canada and New Zealand, makes it an attractive target for operatives from countries such as China and Russia.
Mr Burgess, head of the Australian Security Intelligence Organization (ASIO) reported that the unidentified former politician was recruited «several years ago».
The man even suggested bringing a member of the Prime Minister's family into the «spy orbit», but this plan, he said, was not implemented.
Spies posing as bureaucrats
However, the former politician organized an overseas conference, according to the intelligence chief, in which spies posing as bureaucrats stalked participants to recruit them, eventually obtaining security and defense information from a scientist.
These remarks sparked speculation in the media and demanded that the former politician be identified. .
«The problem is that if he doesn't put a name in, there's a cloud hanging over everyone else,» Conservative Opposition Leader Peter Dutton told Sydney radio station 2GB.
— If you put it in, If you give details of how he did it Mr Burgess, I think there needs to be either a little more criteria or a little more hint as to who this person might be.»
Former Australian Conservative Treasurer Joe Hockey said the revelation had tainted everyone lawmakers.
“The former politician is a traitor,” he told national television station ABC.
It is inconceivable that a politician could be allowed to “walk off into the sunset without revealing his name or his reputation.” » he said.
Mr Burgess's revelation «tainted» all politicians, said Mr Hockey, who was also Australia's ambassador to the United States for four years until 2020.
«He should not do this if he is not going to name this person — this is absurd, this is absolutely absurd.»
Richard Marles, the defense minister, said he did not know the name of the former politician.
«I respect what ASIO has done here in making this story public but also keeping the facts around it confidential and there could be many reasons why this should happen,» he told reporters.
«False, anglicized personalities »
Jim Chalmers, the treasurer, said he would not «second-guess». » ASIO boss.
«I know Mike Burgess, I work with Mike Burgess, and I know he wouldn't say that without a good reason and wouldn't phrase it that way unless he thought it was absolutely necessary,» he said.
In an address in Canberra, Mr Burgess said the foreign intelligence service's unit, dubbed the A-Team, had made Australia its «priority target».
The unit targeted Australians with access to «sensitive information» on social networking sites using «fake, English-speaking identities» and promising cash rewards, he said.
«Spies pose as consultants, bounty hunters, local government officials, scientists and researchers think tanks claiming to be from fictitious companies such as Data 31,» he said.
«If the target takes the bait, the spies try to transfer the conversation to an encrypted messaging app. A further step could include an offer to travel overseas for a face-to-face meeting.»
Burgess said he wanted to tell the other country that its spies had been attacked and that the team leader had encountered Australia's own spies.
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