'MI6 officers' named on US-based website

August 22, 2005

Cryptome.org, a US-based website, has published a list of 74 individuals claimed to be members of the British "Secret Intelligence Service", MI6. Many are serving members of the UK Foreign Office, including 18 Ambassadors. The leak of a similar list in 1999 led to the prosecution of a former MI6 agent, Richard Tomlinson. The source for this latest leak is referred to only as "A".

Earlier this year New York Times reporter Judith Miller was jailed for refusing to name the US-government source who identified a member of the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), Valerie Plame.

A general statement on the Cryptome.org web site states:

"Cryptome welcomes documents for publication that are prohibited by governments worldwide, in particular material on freedom of expression, privacy, cryptology, dual-use technologies, national security, intelligence, and secret governance &mdash; open, secret and classified documents &mdash; but not limited to those. Documents are removed from this site only by order served directly by a US court having jurisdiction. No court order has ever been served; any order served will be published here &mdash; or elsewhere if gagged by order."