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US-ISRAEL-ESPIONAGE
Netanyahu, Trump deny report of Israeli spying near White House
WASHINGTON, Sept 13, 2019 (BSS/AFP) – President Benjamin Netanyahu on
Thursday denied a media report that Israel spied on cell phones in the
vicinity of the White House — and President Donald Trump said he believed
him.
Speaking on a trip to Russia, Netanyahu said there was no eavesdropping on
cell phones around the US presidency because he had forbidden spying against
the United States.
“I have a directive: no intelligence connection in the United States, no
spying,” he said. “It’s rigorously enforced without any exception. It’s a
complete fabrication.”
Online news outlet Politico reported that US officials believe Israelis
were most likely to be behind several so-called stingray scanners, which
mimic cell phone towers to intercept nearby calls and text messages, that
were discovered in downtown Washington in 2017.
Several former national security officials told Politico that forensic
analysis on the devices by the FBI and other agencies tied them to Israeli
agents.
“The devices were likely intended to spy on President Donald Trump, one of
the former officials said, as well as his top aides and closest associates —
though it’s not clear whether the Israeli efforts were successful,” Politico
wrote.
Trump, who calls himself the most pro-Israel president in US history, told
reporters at the White House that he doesn’t believe the allegations.
“I don’t think the Israelis were spying on us. I would find that hard to
believe,” he said.
Earlier, Israel’s foreign and intelligence minister, Israel Katz, said the
country “does not conduct any espionage missions in the United States.”
“The United States and Israel share between them a great deal of
intelligence information and work together to prevent threats and to
strengthen the security of the two states,” he said.
Stingrays are formally known as international mobile subscriber identity
(IMSI) catchers, devices able to monitor and track cellular device
communications as they interact with networks.
They are increasingly used by police in criminal investigations to
intercept cell phone activity by suspects, and have become a focus of
controversy for their use without warrants.
Two years ago an unknown number of the devices were discovered inside
Washington during a Department of Homeland Security test project
investigating the risk posed by the devices.
Their discovery included “locations in proximity to potentially sensitive
facilities like the White House,” DHS said in a letter to Senator Ron Wyden
in May 2018.
But those responsible for putting them in place were never identified.
They could have been potentially useful at the time in monitoring Trump,
who was known to use an unsecured cell phone for phone calls and text
messages.
BSS/AFP/GMR/0913 hrs