Former Twitter employees accused of spying for the Saudis

(November 8, 2019)The US Justice Department claims that three people including two former employees of Twitter and a third person who was working for the Saudi Royal Family face charges associated with spying for Saudi Arabia without registering as foreign agents.

Abouammo and Alzabarah

A recent Middle East Eye article details what Abouammo is alleged to have received: ""..according to a complaint filed in a US District Court in California this week, US citizen Abouammo had used his position at Twitter to spy on Saudi dissidents on behalf of a Saudi royal court official. For his efforts, he had received a $20,000 gold watch and at least $300,000 from the official, sometimes channeled through a relative’s Lebanese bank account, parsed out in transferred dribbles and used as a down payment on this new home." His new home is in Seattle Washington.

Alzabarah spied mostly under the direction of someone named Ahmed al-Mutairi also named in the complaint against Abouamo. Mutari described himself as an adviser for the Saudi Royal Family. Alsabarah complained about not being properly recompensed for his work. However, eventually he appears to have been paid enough to leave his position at Twitter: "Eventually, Alzabarah seems to get at least some of what he wants. According to the complaint, he quits his job at Twitter, sending his resignation email while flying to Saudi Arabia where he started to work for the foreign official's charity and also on a team with Mutairi, monitoring and manipulating social media "for the benefit of the kingdom of Saudi Arabia". " However, Alzabarah does not appear to have received a gold watch!

What the former Twitter employees did

Alzabarah and Abouammo are alleged to have repeatedly accessed the accounts of Twitter members who were critical of the Saudi royals, viewing their phone numbers, email addresses linked to their account and other personal identifiable data.

Altogether Twitter found there was unauthorized data access to over 6,000 account including at least 33 that the Saudis had attempted to get directly from Twitter in the past.

No response to the spying

Neither Trump nor his administration have as yet commented on the Twitter spying issue. Saudi Arabia also has said nothing.

The spying however may provide even more fuel for those opposed to the US sale of Arms to the Saudis and who to limit Saudi abuse of US ties.

Previously published in the Digital Journal

U.S. contracts out spying to private companies in Africa

A long article in the Washington Post details U.S use of private contractors to spy in Africa in particular Uganda. The contractors use Pilatus PC-12 aircraft the same planes as are favored by U.S. Special Forces stealth missions. They are completely non-descript in appearance and hide the high tech equipment on board.

To hide the fact that the operations are by the U.S. the contractors supply the planes, pilots, mechanics and other personnel. They process intelligence collected over Uganda, Congo, South Sudan and Central African Republic. Although last October Obama sent 100 elite U.S troops to find the Ugandan rebel leader Joseph Kony, U.S. contractors had been looking for him much earlier.

There is also a secret spy program keeping track of alleged Al Qaeda groups in North Africa. Since these operations are taking place outside of the traditional military channels there is virtually no oversight or accountability. No doubt this is what makes the programs attractive to the government.

When questioned the U.S. Africa command would not discuss specific missions or even why it was outsourcing the gathering of intelligence. Obviously this advances the symbiotic relationships in the military industrial complex.

Pentagon wants to expand spying on foreign military contractors

The U.S. is expanding covert operations both in the military and in spying Obama moves to project U,S.power through methods that are hidden from view and from accountability. The Dept. of Defense has asked that spies be allowed to infiltrate foreign military contractors' businesses.

These would be companies that are manufacturing weapons for competing nations. Some U.S. business people would actually be spies gathering intelligence.

The Dept. of Defense also said: “The conflict with al-Qaeda and its affiliates, and other developments, have required the regular conduct of small-scale clandestine military operations to prepare the battlefield for military operations against terrorists and their sponsors,” The Department wants to be able to use more clandestine spying operations. Not only would the department keep the operations secret but could ignore or deny the operations entirely. So much for open and accountable government.

There are dangers to the program as a correspondent with Wired Danger Room points out:“Once civilian commercial activities become a front for US military spying, then foreign governments will likely view normal businessmen as targets for their own counter-spying, or even detention,” No doubt foreign operatives will also engage in such activities in U.S. businesses. For more see this article.